Boys Climbing a Tree 

Francisco Goya painted these boys climbing a tree to decorate the walls of a royal residence. Notice how the tree acts as a conduit, an axis mundi, connecting the earth below with the sky above. Climbing, as a motif, recurs throughout art history, symbolizing aspiration, spiritual ascent, and the conquest of the earthly realm. Think of Jacob's Ladder, or the Buddhist World Tree. Yet, here, Goya presents a mundane version, depicting the pure, unadulterated joy of childhood. The tree, thus, becomes a stage for youthful endeavors. The ragged clothing and bare feet evoke a primal innocence, far from the artifice of courtly life. It is a scene pregnant with the tension between nature and civilization, freedom and constraint. Like a persistent echo, the tree of life reverberates through human consciousness, constantly reimagined yet eternally resonant.