Figuren bij een aangemeerde boot aan een waterkant 1696

This watercolor drawing shows figures by a moored boat on a waterfront. Notice the prominent tree, a symbol deeply rooted in human consciousness. Throughout art history, the tree appears as the axis mundi, connecting the earthly and the divine. It's Yggdrasil in Norse mythology, the Tree of Knowledge in the Garden of Eden. Here, the tree's gnarled branches reach upwards, embodying growth, life, and the enduring spirit of nature. The figures beneath it are dwarfed, suggesting mankind's dependence on and reverence for the natural world. We see this motif echoed across cultures—the Bodhi tree under which Buddha attained enlightenment, or the family tree, visualizing lineage and heritage. The enduring presence of the tree reminds us of our connection to nature and time.