Seated Pink Nude, ca. 1928

A theme that regularly recurs in Van den Berghe's late work is the human figure in archetypal dialogue with a tree or a cave. The artist chooses subjects in which man in affective and material bondage to nature and life knows his place. The mythical veneration of the tree takes very clear shape in Sitting Pink Nude. The origin of the subject reaches back to prehistoric times. For primitive man, the tree is the abode of spirits or gods. By extension, in archaic times the tree is not only venerated for its own sake, but also because it represents the activity of a 'totally different' force, a holy power that man both venerates and fears. This power manifests itself particularly in the image of the cosmic tree as the source of constant regeneration. Sculptures of animals and humans worshipping the tree date back to before the second millennium BC. The tree is also a frequent motif in dreams, with an unprecedented variety of meanings. It can stand for evolution, physical growth or spiritual maturation, for sacrifice or death. Van den Berghe brings many variations on this old motif, here the artist does so by formally identifying man and tree or at least creating the illusion of it.