Claustraphobia

There are few universal fears in human kind. Claustrophobia is one of them. For generations people have subconsciously identified with the fear of being confined within a small, limiting, trapping, space. I don't find myself attracted to a lot of art pieces, but I absolutely love the simple yet profound message communicated by the image below. The artist used a technique here known as "grouping" defined by Stewart (2012) as grouping visual units by location, orientation, shape, and color. (pg. 68)
By making the trees in the center darker, and more pronounced than the other trees we instinctively group them together, creating the appearance of a small space. The reason I am so drawn to this image I think is due to its contradictory nature. We typically visualize freedom as existing within nature, especially when looking at the sky. But this piece brings up the disheartening idea that perhaps we aren't free, but trapped within a life, or a world we don't understand; one that is multidimensional and perhaps infinite.