Landschap met boerderij 1887

Frans de Vadder etched this landscape scene featuring a farmhouse. The trees, clustered tightly, almost huddle together as if seeking shelter. Trees, in art, are potent symbols. In antiquity, they were the Axis Mundi, connecting the earthly and divine realms. Think of the Tree of Life in ancient mythologies, or the sacred groves of the Druids. Here, the farmhouse nestled amongst them suggests a similar connection to nature's rhythms. This recalls how, in medieval tapestries, dense forests often symbolize the subconscious, a place of hidden knowledge and potential danger. But observe how the trees also offer protection and nurture. The forest can thus embody both refuge and the unknown, reflecting our deeply ingrained, often conflicting feelings about the natural world. These ancient symbols are not linear; they ebb and flow, resurfacing through the ages in art, each time colored by the anxieties and aspirations of a new era.