Riverbank at Veneux 1881

Alfred Sisley rendered this oil on canvas, Riverbank at Veneux. Notice the trees. Their bare branches reach up in gestures of supplication, of torment, not unlike the reaching arms of figures in a crucifixion scene. In their starkness, they evoke a sense of desolation. The barren tree is an ancient symbol, reappearing throughout history, from pagan rituals to Christian iconography, representing death and rebirth. Consider too, how a similar motif appears in medieval depictions of the harrowing of hell. There, bare trees often mark the entrance to the underworld. Here, in this landscape, a figure walks along the riverbank. Is it a path towards renewal, or a journey into the depths of the psyche? The symbol of the bare tree is not static. Its meaning shifts and evolves, shaped by cultural and historical forces, resonating within our collective memory.