In art, trees are representative of some major themes that are commonly depicted in all forms of painting and drawing. Here are just a few of the ways that trees are used symbolically in artwork:
Growth
Revival
The cycle of life and death
Trees came to symbolize the above ideas in artwork largely through their inclusion in common mythology and religion.
Trees such as the Tree of Knowledge in the garden of Eden, the Sacred Tree in Native American mythology, and the Tree of Life in Viking mythology are all major totems of tree symbolism in popular culture.