Berglandschap met zicht op de Eiger 1859

Eugène Cicéri’s "Berglandschap met zicht op de Eiger" captures the Swiss Alps with a particular emphasis on water, a powerful symbol of purity and life. The cascading stream draws our eye, not just as a picturesque element, but as a conduit that has, since antiquity, represented the passage of time and the renewal of life. Consider how water appears in countless myths, from the rivers of the Underworld to baptismal fonts. This symbol, ever-flowing, transcends specific cultures, becoming a universal signifier. The romantic vision of nature is charged with deeper cultural memories, subconsciously evoking notions of cleansing, rebirth, and the eternal cycle of nature. The sublime quality of the landscape—the imposing mountains, the untamed river—evokes an emotional response, stirring feelings of awe and perhaps even a touch of anxiety before the overwhelming power of nature. The stream persists through history, a symbol ever-present, continuously reshaped by the currents of time.