Bewaldete Anhöhe hinter einem Acker, Staffagefiguren auf dem Weg und dem Feld 

Johann Alexander Thiele sketched this landscape, ‘Bewaldete Anhöhe hinter einem Acker, Staffagefiguren auf dem Weg und dem Feld’, likely in the first half of the 18th century. The motif of peasants working the land appears simple, yet it resonates deeply within the collective psyche. Consider the figure sowing seeds. This act is not merely agricultural; it's a potent symbol of hope and continuity, echoing ancient myths of fertility and rebirth. Think of Demeter, goddess of the harvest, her image a promise of cyclical renewal. The emotional weight of this image, though seemingly bucolic, evokes our primal connection to the earth. Even today, the sowing gesture appears in art and literature. What was once an evocation of survival is now a metaphor for the seeds of change or knowledge. These motifs are not linear; they evolve, resurface, and persist.