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The truncated tree by Rein Draijer, which was placed in 1979 in the public garden in front of the then Thorbecke Comprehensive School, makes it clear at a glance that the artist chooses to abstract reality without losing sight of recognisability. In spite of the simplified form, the bronze sculpture can be traced back to a truncated tree, but because of the stylisation this tree does look unnatural and artificial.

Draijer lived and worked in The Hague from 1922. There, he studied at the Royal Academy of Art. His versatile development is remarkable. He manifested himself not only as a sculptor of plant and animal forms and painter of landscapes, still lifes and portraits, but also as a designer of posters and stamps. Although he allows abstraction processes, his work remains largely figurative.

Draijer was a well-known and respected artist in his time. This is evident, for instance, from the prizes he was awarded. In 1952, for instance, he received the Jacob Maris Prize, an annual art prize from The Hague, followed in 1958 by the Jacob Hartog Prize, an annual prize awarded by the artists' association Pulchri Studio. Four years later, his work was exhibited at the internationally acclaimed Venice Biennale. As a teacher at the Royal Academy of Art in the Hague (1937-1964), he undoubtedly influenced many of his students, including Peter Struycken (1939) and Co Westerik (1924).