Art Story

The painting "Het horizontale en verticale van de boom" (1979) demonstrates how Roger Raveel subtly explores the tensions between form and meaning. The tree trunk, normally a vertical element, is rendered using horizontal brushstrokes. This surprising reversal reveals Raveel's delight in visual ambiguity and subtly refers to one of his great sources of inspiration, Mondrian. The tree crown, outlined in blue, contains a cross shape - possibly also a reference to the spiritual or the transcendent. This combination of earthly forms and transcendent allusions demonstrates Raveel's ability to evoke existential questions with minimal means. "Het horizontale en verticale van de boom" once hung in the artist's authentic home in Machelen-Zulte.