Bosrand bij Kalmthout before 1871

Carel Nicolaas Storm van 's-Gravesande created this print, ‘Bosrand bij Kalmthout’, using etching techniques. The verticality of the trees strikes the eye, evoking a yearning to bridge the earthly and the transcendent. This motif, the tree, transcends mere arboreal representation. Consider its echoes through time. In ancient mythologies, the tree is the axis mundi, connecting underworld, earth, and sky. The Nordic Yggdrasil or the Tree of Knowledge in the Garden of Eden both embody the vital link between realms, a cosmic pillar. Here, these trees stand on the edge of this 'Bosrand bij Kalmthout,' a frontier between known and unknown. They stir deep within us a collective memory of nature's primal power, of forests as both refuge and places of fear. In this landscape, the trees invite a meditation on nature's enduring presence and its reflection in our shared human consciousness.