Tak met bessen 1820 - 1833

Anton Weiss’s ‘Tak met bessen’ at the Rijksmuseum intricately depicts a sprig of blackcurrants. The berries, heavy with juice, evoke a primal connection to nature's bounty and perhaps a deeper longing for life’s ephemeral sweetness. Consider the enduring motif of fruit throughout art history. From the apples of temptation in Eden to the still-life opulence of the Dutch Golden Age, fruit embodies complex ideas—desire, mortality, and the transience of beauty. This image of currants echoes the "memento mori" tradition, a poignant reminder of life's fleeting nature. The clustered berries, resembling tiny beads, recall ancient fertility symbols. Their dark color, also reminiscent of the night, suggests a potent, subconscious realm. Over time, berries like these appear in illuminated manuscripts and tapestries, often holding symbolic weight tied to the harvest, prosperity, and even protection. Through this simple rendering, Weiss taps into a collective, almost primeval memory, engaging us on a level far deeper than mere observation. It’s a reminder that symbols, like memories, echo through time, constantly reshaped yet perpetually resonant.