Jack Kruf
The wisdom of life, the book with all its guidelines and secrets, the codex, can be found in the forest. Codex is derived from the Latin caudex, meaning “trunk of a tree.” The lowest part of the trunk, which connects to the roots, is where two worlds meet in the binding principles of life: ‘above ground’ and ‘underground’.
Here, the forest’s soul can be found, the marketplace where all traffic streams from earth (upwards, water, minerals) and sun and air (downwards, sugars, after photosynthesis) are exchanged, the roundabout on the highway of life.
This meeting point is where growth and development are coordinated, the past, present, and future meet, and the counterpoint is where life starts. Vincent van Gogh painted this meeting point, Tree Roots, as only he could: colourful and straight to the heart. He understood. It was his last painting, ‘digging deep’ into the essence of life.
Bibliography
Gogh, V. van (1890) Tree Roots [oil on canvas]. Amsterdam: Van Gogh Museum.
Kruf Huyssons 