By the sea 

Charles-François Daubigny created this painting, By the Sea, with oil on wood. Here, the sun hangs low, a radiant eye overseeing the horizon. The sun, an archetypal symbol across cultures, embodies illumination, life, and the passage of time. From ancient Egyptian sun-god Ra to Apollo in Greek mythology, its trajectory has marked both daily rhythms and grand cosmological narratives. Notice how this golden orb mirrors the symbolic weight we assign to celestial bodies in times past. Its presence engages the viewer on a profound, subconscious level, evoking feelings of hope, reflection, and perhaps a sense of temporal continuity. The sun’s presence connects us, through memory and symbol, to the dawn of civilization itself. Its enduring glow reminds us that symbols evolve, yet their primal power persists, rippling through art history and our collective consciousness.