The Access Bridge to the Entrance Gate to the Former Castle in Buren 1760

Gerard van Rossum rendered this view of the access bridge to the former castle in Buren in sepia tones. The image evokes the medieval concept of the "hortus conclusus" or enclosed garden, a space of refuge. Water, both a defensive moat and a reflective mirror, features prominently. Water has often signified purity and transition, echoing ancient rituals of cleansing and rebirth. Consider the mythological river Styx, a boundary between life and death, or baptismal rites, where water signifies spiritual cleansing. This symbolism resonates across cultures and centuries, from ancient Egyptian purification rituals to Renaissance paintings depicting goddesses emerging from water, each iteration carrying layers of cultural memory. This visual motif taps into our collective subconscious, stirring emotions of tranquility, introspection, and a yearning for a protected space. The symbols we see—water, the enclosed garden, and the fortified entrance—are not static relics of the past. They resurface and evolve.