Entrée de Barège 

Maxime Lalanne made this print of the Entrance to Barèges, showing the town nestled in the French Pyrenees. Here, the dominating vertical axis of the road is like an umbilical cord. It connects the village to the unknown, symbolizing a path of life’s journey, but also a lifeline to the outside world. The road, the path, the way; recall the classical paintings where a path leads the eye into the distance, towards enlightenment, or the spiritual journey in medieval altarpieces where the road to salvation is depicted as a physical path through a symbolic landscape. Lalanne's road carries the weight of our collective aspirations. Consider the psychological dimension: are we the travelers embarking on a new adventure, or the villagers rooted in their homes, observing the passage of time? The composition engages our subconscious, evoking a sense of anticipation and the eternal human quest for what lies beyond the horizon. As always, these symbols reappear through the ages.