28th September 2026 Beena

 

Lately, I have been reflecting deeply on the meaning of peace. Recently, I shared my Van Gogh-inspired painting, Large Plane Trees (my interpretation), featuring my three daughters and me strolling beneath the sweeping branches. Painted in vibrant acrylics, it is a heartfelt homage rather than a mere reproduction.

In the original, Van Gogh depicted two nuns and a woman walking along a cobbled path under the vast embrace of a plane tree. While his Plane Trees series remains overshadowed by Sunflowers, Starry Night, and his iconic self-portraits, I found profound inspiration in the quiet ordinariness of this scene. There is beauty in the overlooked and extraordinary power in the mundane. Did I say mundaneness? In truth, we can never take a peaceful moment for granted. Peace can be shattered in an instant—by misfortune, by nature, by human hands, or even by our own choices. Its fragility makes it precious, a treasure we often fail to recognize until it is gone.

Our very existence is a paradox: we are wired to survive, sometimes at great cost, and yet, faced with disaster, we instinctively reach out to protect and help one another. This duality within humanity—our capacity for both destruction and compassion—remains a moving mystery to me. I invite you to share your reflections on my painting or these thoughts on the fragile nature of peace.