Berglandschap met sparren en berggeiten c. 1842 - 1850

Alexandre Calame rendered this mountain landscape, populated with fir trees and mountain goats, with delicate precision. The fir, reaching skyward, has long symbolized resilience and eternity, echoing the ancient Nordic reverence for the world tree, Yggdrasil. We find similar arboreal veneration across cultures, from the cedars of Lebanon in Mesopotamian myth to the sacred groves of the Celts. This persistent motif speaks to humanity’s primal connection to nature and its cycles of death and rebirth. Consider the mountain goat, a symbol of wild, untamed nature, often linked to freedom and sure-footedness, yet also to sacrifice and the scapegoat archetype. The image of a goat reappears in the Zodiac as Capricorn, and in myriad other instances, across art history. These enduring symbols engage our collective memory, stirring subconscious connections to our shared past. Calame has crafted a landscape that not only pleases the eye, but speaks to a deep-seated, timeless understanding of our place in the natural world. The cyclical dance of symbols continues.