Wel kinderen! wat zoudt gij nu meer wenschen? / Deez' beesten lijkenen hier wel menschen 1836 - 1849

This whimsical print, made by D. Lijsen, presents a series of creatures that straddle the line between beast and human, inviting us to consider the blurred boundaries of nature and culture. The dominant motif here is the hybrid form – animals with human faces and attire. This echoes the ancient traditions of anthropomorphism, where animals embody human traits, desires, and vices. Consider the ancient Egyptian gods with animal heads or the fables of Aesop, where animals teach moral lessons. Yet, the emotional impact is profound. These figures, with their melancholy expressions and awkward postures, evoke a sense of unease, a feeling of the uncanny. This tension between human and animal, familiar and strange, speaks to our deep-seated anxieties about identity and the self. It’s as if these creatures reflect a hidden part of ourselves, a suppressed bestiality that lurks beneath the surface of our civilized facades. Such imagery resurfaces throughout history, from medieval bestiaries to modern-day cartoons, each time reflecting and refracting our evolving relationship with the animal kingdom and our own primal nature.