Landscape 1916

Theo van Doesburg's 'Landscape', painted with oil on canvas, presents a world fractured into geometric forms. These shapes, reminiscent of leaves and land, speak to a deeper, more abstract language. Consider the oval frame: a symbol echoing cosmic eggs and mandalas across cultures. It is as if the artist seeks to contain the vastness of nature within a primal form. We can trace this shape back to ancient depictions of the cosmos, a vessel holding the secrets of existence. Even in the Renaissance, the oval appears in portraits, framing the subject as if a precious jewel. The fragmentation of the landscape itself can be seen as a psychological mirror, reflecting the anxieties of a rapidly changing world. Just as the human mind pieces together fragments of experience, the viewer is invited to reconstruct this landscape. In essence, this painting reminds us that symbols are not static but evolve through time and context. They are the language of our collective memory, forever shifting and reforming.