Gezicht op een gebouw bij een boom c. 1828 - 1897

Adrianus Eversen sketched this view of a building with a tree in graphite. Trees are recurrent symbols that transcend epochs; their significance oscillates between life and death, acting as a bridge between the earthly and the divine. We find the motif of the tree as the axis mundi in ancient mythologies, where it connects the underworld, the earth, and the heavens. Think of the Tree of Life in Mesopotamian art or Yggdrasil in Norse mythology. Later, we see the tree featured in Romanticism, embodying nature's sublime power, and now, in the Anthropocene, it has become an emblem of ecological consciousness. The tree is laden with meaning, reflecting our evolving relationship with nature and our enduring search for symbolic anchors. It carries our collective memories, our fears, and our hopes across time.