Arabs I (Cemetery) 1909

Wassily Kandinsky created this oil on canvas painting, Arabs I (Cemetery), its date is unknown. Notice the cemetery's arched entrance, framed by an orange tree, a motif that symbolizes the promise of renewal and paradise in many cultures. The arch, a universal symbol of transition, appears in ancient Roman architecture as triumphal arches but also in Islamic art. Here, the dark opening evokes a passage into the unknown, or perhaps the subconscious. The repetition of steps leading up to it reminds us of the cyclical nature of life and death, a theme explored across epochs. The stylized figures, with their abstracted postures, convey a sense of mourning, of lamentation. These gestures recur in countless depictions of grief, from ancient Greek funerary art to Renaissance paintings of the deposition. This illustrates how our collective memory finds expression in art.