Executed in July 1967. At the heart of Oppenheim’s mid-career practice is an inspiration drawn from the powerful or spiritual forces of nature. Dryades, or wood nymphs that frequently appear in Greek folklore, are the subject of this painterly composition that vaguely resembles a forest. Oppenheim intentionally includes pieces of oak bark, or natural objets trouvés, to evoke new meanings and create associations between collage elements. This piece of bark sits atop a painterly surface composed of light gray hatched lines, creating a flickering effect. This distinct mark-making was common for Oppenheim during her practice in the 1960s and 70s as seen in Head of Fog, 1974, currently in the Kunstmuseum Bern. The inclusion of actual tree bark in the present work was possibly informed by the concurrent avant-garde movement, Arte Povera, as witnessed in an earlier sculpture, Masked Flower, 1958 that has a tree stump as a base. Oppenheim’s use and juxtaposition of unexpected combinations speak to her sense of imagination and experimentation, reinforcing her belief that “committing to a particular style would have bored [her] to death.” Forest Interior with Dryades was included in Meret Oppenheim: My Exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art, New York that traveled from the Kunstmuseum Bern, and the Menil Collection in Houston from October 2021 to March 2023.