Boslandschap, vermoedelijk in Groot-Brittannië 1855 - 1882

This photograph by Alfred Rosling presents us with a landscape, presumably in Great Britain, where trees stand like silent figures in a dense, wooded area. Note how the trees, with their bare branches reaching skyward, evoke a sense of both strength and vulnerability. The image is reminiscent of the "axis mundi," the world's axis, a symbol appearing in various cultures representing the connection between the earthly and the divine. Think of the Norse Yggdrasil or the Christian Tree of Life; these are visual metaphors for a world-connecting principle. The forest is not merely a collection of trees; it becomes a symbolic space where the boundary between the human and natural worlds blurs. This evokes deep-seated memories of ancient rituals performed in sacred groves, engaging with primal fears and a longing for spiritual connection, resurfacing through art as an echo of our collective past. The trees stand as silent witnesses, their forms shaped by time and the elements.