The single tree on a hill drew lightning, which was surely the gods' tongue of thunder. The appearance of new buds and flowers each spring was reassuring proof of nature's regenerative powers. Trees can delight the senses and even instruct us in graceful living. Perhaps dance began with our ancestors imitations of their swaying, wind-blown motion. Our first music may have been suggested by the pecking sound of birds, or by their songs filtering down from the branches.
Wood is the most universal of worked materials.
It is an essential substance that provides shelter and warmth, fuel for cooking, and the basic tools for living and dying - from digging sticks to spear shafts, from cradles to coffins. The paper upon which we have communicated our thoughts, preserved our ideas, and painted our visions is itself a fruit of the tree. Companionship with trees and wood has been with us since the beginning of our species. As the American Visionary Art Museum opens, we return to those roots with the Tree of Life. The visionary artists presented here incorporate the meanings and implications of trees in their work, and in their private struggles with the meaning of life.