Roots of Peace tells the cultural story of the olive tree, a plant that has accompanied Mediterranean civilizations and many other territories for millennia. Through historical episodes, artistic traces and cultural testimonies, this monthly series explores the link between the olive tree and the values of peace, coexistence and sustainability promoted by The Garden of Peace.

The olive tree in painting

The olive tree in art often appears first as a landscape presence. Its twisted trunk, silver leaves and changing light make it recognizable without needing dramatic effects. Painters have used the olive tree to describe a territory, but also to suggest patience, work and continuity.

In nineteenth-century painting, the olive tree became especially powerful because it could unite observation and emotion. Vincent van Gogh painted olive groves in Provence during his stay at Saint-Rémy. In those works, the trees are not decorative background. They become living forms, shaped by wind, soil and light.

This is why olive trees work so well in painting. They carry the memory of agriculture, but they also offer artists a complex visual language. Their branches move, their leaves reflect light, and their trunks seem to preserve time.

The olive tree in poetry

The olive tree also enters poetry because it is both concrete and symbolic. It belongs to the field, to the hand of the farmer, to the rhythm of seasons. At the same time, it speaks of memory, waiting and rootedness.

Poets have often used the olive tree to evoke Mediterranean landscapes without needing long explanations. A few elements are enough: dry soil, pale leaves, wind between branches, the slow presence of an old trunk. The image is simple, but never empty.

In this sense, poetry helps us understand why the olive tree is more than a plant. It is a visible sign of relation: between people and land, between work and beauty, between fragile human history and the persistence of nature.

A symbol in visual culture

In visual culture, the olive tree and the olive branch have become widely recognized signs. They appear in emblems, images, public symbols and artistic compositions. Their meaning is not limited to agriculture, although agriculture remains their deepest root.

The olive branch is especially connected with peace. This association has crossed centuries and cultures, becoming part of a shared visual vocabulary. Its strength lies in its simplicity: a branch can suggest reconciliation without needing many words.

For The Garden of Peace, this visual language is essential. The olive tree is not used as an abstract ornament, but as a living symbol. It connects culture, landscape and dialogue through a form that people from different countries can recognize.

Conclusion

The olive tree in art shows how a real plant can become a cultural image without losing its agricultural truth. Painting, poetry and visual symbols do not replace the olive tree. They help us see it with greater attention.

In Roots of Peace, this attention becomes a way to connect beauty, memory and peace. The olive tree remains rooted in the soil, but its image continues to travel through cultures.

Preview of next month

After exploring the olive tree in art, in July Roots of Peace will look at the landscapes shaped by olive cultivation.