”Let the tears of sorrow calm down, becoming an eternal echo for the living about all those who left too soon, with no statute of limitations for them” 

The images of the bas-relief align with the narrative of the memorial to the Latian tragedy. However, the bas-relief is connected not only to the event of December 14, 1992. It is dedicated to all those who preserve the memory of innocent civilians who have perished in the tragedies of wars, terrorism, disasters, and cataclysms.

 

Visually, the bas-relief reflects the external side of grief: on one side, there is a sense of pain, while on the other, the dissolution of grief over time. In this context, the "Tree of Grief" represents a complex range of emotions and simultaneously symbolizes the healing process through the annual sprouting of leaves. Generations born after the tragic events do not grieve emotionally with the pain of eyewitnesses. Their memory of the tragedy is filled with a narrative that holds political and social meaning. Thus, the bitter memory of the people becomes part of their history.

The grief masks embedded in the hollow of a living tree are:

    •    an emotionally restrained cry;

    •    the compassion of loving souls;

    •    the recognition of tears of suffering.

The images of the bas-relief align with the narrative of the memorial to the Latian tragedy. However, the bas-relief is connected not only to the event of December 14, 1992. It is dedicated to all those who preserve the memory of innocent civilians who have perished in the tragedies of wars, terrorism, disasters, and cataclysms.

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All of this forms a kind of silent dialogue of the living, demonstrating the movement of feeling: a transition from the bitter memory to the acceptance of an irreversible loss.

 

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The aesthetic essence of the work lies in the emotional perception of life and death. The grieving faces, embedded in the hollow of the tree, feel particularly tangible. They are executed in a conditionally expressionist manner: large eyes, sharp noses, tightly pressed or slightly parted lips, lowered eyelids. These masks express sadness, fear, fatigue; they scream, they lose their voice; and they create a sense of collective sorrow.

Furthermore, the bas-relief carries a powerful ecological function. Embedded in the hollow, it preserves the aesthetics of the landscape, serves a conservation function, and helps prolong the life of the tree. 

An aspect of the uniqueness of the bas-relief ergera lies in its artistic dialogue with the object of nature. The living tree becomes a full co-author of the artwork, while the bas-relief emphasizes the natural beauty of the tree, creating a new artistic style with an original approach to the "restoration" of the tree's hollow.

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