Tree. Rome, Abameleca Villa 1964

Vasyl Kasiyan rendered this tree at the Villa Abameleca in Rome with delicate strokes. Note the twisting branches of the pine, which reach skyward like supplicating arms. The image of the tree as a link between the terrestrial and the divine is ancient and universal, appearing, for example, in ancient Egyptian, Mesopotamian, and Norse cultures as the "tree of life" connecting the underworld, the earth, and the heavens. The symbolism of trees goes far beyond mere vegetation; it connects us to the very essence of life, death, and rebirth. The tree's silhouette against the sky evokes a deep sense of melancholy, its form twisted by time and the elements. We see in its branches not just wood and leaf, but also the very essence of human resilience and the passage of time. The gnarled, reaching branches echo similar gestures found in depictions of saints and prophets across centuries of art, a silent testament to endurance and a plea for transcendence.