Bomen op een heuvel 1870 - 1931

Here we see Willem Bastiaan Tholen's sketch, “Bomen op een heuvel”, trees upon a hill. The trees, reaching skyward, are a motif as old as consciousness. They are symbols of life, growth, and the connection between earth and the heavens. Consider the Tree of Life, a concept found in countless cultures, representing immortality and cosmic order. Across cultures, from ancient Egypt to the Norse Yggdrasil, trees embody knowledge and destiny. In Tholen's sketch, the stark simplicity evokes a feeling of solitude and introspection. The deliberate roughness of the strokes and the figure standing in contrapposto amidst the nature elicit a psychological resonance, reminding us of the Romantic era's fascination with nature's sublime power. The image is cyclical, as trees always appear, and remind us of the non-linear progression of symbols. Each era finds new meanings in these ancient forms, reflecting our ever-evolving relationship with the world around us.