The Tree 1928

Serge Charchoune's painting, titled ‘The Tree,’ presents a fascinating, geometric meditation on organic forms. The most potent symbol here, naturally, is the tree itself. It's stylized, almost architectural, and it evokes the 'Tree of Life,' a motif stretching back through countless cultures. Its roots lie deep in ancient mythologies, from Egypt's sacred sycamore to the Norse Yggdrasil. Often, it appears as a connector between the earth and the heavens, a symbol of growth, knowledge, and immortality. Note how Charchoune abstracts the natural form, stripping it down to essential shapes and colors. In other works, we might find it lush and teeming with life, but here, it is reduced to a stark, elemental form. This kind of visual paring is powerful, as it taps into our collective memory of the symbol, allowing us to project our own feelings onto it. The artist’s abstraction does not diminish its symbolic resonance, but rather amplifies it. As this motif has resurfaced, evolved, and taken on new meanings throughout different times, it stands as a testament to the enduring power of symbols.