Prospekt med en trappe t.v. og t.h. udsigt over et bjerglandskab 1859

Here is a pencil drawing of a mountain landscape with stairs on the left, made by Ernst Meyer. The steps act as a compelling symbol of ascent and transition. It speaks to the universal human desire for progress and attainment, something you can find represented across cultures. Take, for instance, the ziggurats of ancient Mesopotamia, architectural marvels designed as stairways to the heavens, reflecting a collective yearning to bridge the earthly and the divine. The staircase motif, however, is not linear. It can suggest the opposite, a descent, a fall. This duality speaks to the complex nature of progress. Think of Piranesi's etchings of labyrinthine staircases, a maze of psychological complexity. The steps in Meyer's drawing function similarly, a powerful force that engage viewers on a deep, subconscious level. So here we are, at the base of a mountain, or perhaps, a mountain of our own subconscious.