Woman Sleeping under a Tree

Redon started out as a landscapist, and from his youth the tree was a favourite motif. After he arrived at a Symbolist aesthetic, allegorical meanings expressed themselves ever more strongly in his works. In this image, the tree represents the eternity of nature and a living link between earth and heaven. Depending on whether it is depicted green or bare, as here, it also symbolizes the transition from day to night, from awakening to sleep.