"Growing from the earth to the sun, a tree is an image of certain happiness. To perceive this image we must be immobile like the tree. When we are moving, it is the tree which becomes the spectator. It is witness, equally, in the shape of chairs, tables and doors, to the more or less agitated spectacle of our life. The tree, having become a coffin, disappears into the earth. And when it is transformed into fire, it vanishes into air." Rene Magritte
The "Chestnut Tree" is a homage to Magritte and our shared fascination for trees.
A cultural encounter on canvas
Do you know the "Four Trees" painted by Egon Schiele in 1917? (See photo of Schiele's original below).
Well, above is my interpretation of it, where Schiele meets India. Instead of Schiele's four fall trees symbolizing the end of a life cycle (where two trees have to be held up by stakes), the Indian fall trees seem to bloom and shine, reflecting a glimpse of coming new growth.
