Helen Lundeberg’s The Tree presents a floating wedge of land split into two contrasting environments—one healthy and fertile, the other arid and barren. A single tree with twin trunks emerges from the center. Each trunk responds to the quality of soil in which it is rooted: one through regeneration, and the other, desolation. The large tree depicted here was likely inspired by the California pepper trees that lined the neighborhood streets of Lundeberg’s childhood. While the scene contains recognizable elements, the enigmatic and dream-like atmosphere of the suspended land form creates a surreal effect