Berglandschap met beek tussen de rotsen 1852 - 1855

This landscape, etched by Alexandre Calame, presents a rushing stream flanked by imposing rocks. Water, as a symbol, carries immense cultural weight. We find it not only as a life-giver but also as a force of purification and destruction across countless myths and rituals. Consider its presence in baptism, a ritual cleansing, or in the stories of great floods that wash away the old to make way for the new. This duality is ever-present; water is both a symbol of fertility and a harbinger of chaos. The Romantic era, to which Calame belonged, saw artists turning to nature as a source of spiritual insight. The craggy rocks are stoic witnesses to time, embodying endurance. This connects to our collective unconscious, reminding us of nature’s sublime power. The stream in Calame’s etching echoes through time, reminding us that symbols are never truly static. Each era reshapes them, imbuing them with fresh meaning. We circle back, each generation reinterpreting the eternal dance of life, death, and renewal.