These are the four seasons as symbols for four basic human needs that are connected to our instincts. As a nursing mother I was able to experience the influence of the instincts and the inner processes involved to the full extent. I felt stopped in my thoughts and actions — that is how great our dependence on the instincts is. The same applies to the hunting instincts of men. Spring and autumn are a pair of opposites, representing the two most important life functions: Give and Take — here in the representation of the nursing mother and the hunter. Summer and winter are the other pair. They mean play and reflection, as well as movement and rest, represented here by the child and the bullfinch. The first three needs, i.e. giving, taking, playing, are complexly linked to the instincts of the animal world and are expressed through the portraits of a woman, a child, and a man. Only the fourth need is not embodied here by man but is represented by a bird as a symbol of the human soul.