The zoo at Brussels 

Albrecht Durer sketched ‘The Zoo at Brussels’ using thin strokes of ink. The artwork is a bird’s-eye view of the zoo, arranged in a series of rectangular enclosures and pathways. The careful composition invites our eyes to move from the detailed foreground, with its orderly gardens and pools, to the more loosely rendered landscape in the background. The drawing highlights Durer’s attention to structure and spatial relationships. The lines create a sense of depth, leading the viewer through the zoo's layout, while also capturing the essence of the zoo as a carefully designed, bounded space. The zoo's geometric arrangement, viewed from above, suggests a world meticulously ordered and controlled. Consider the act of observing itself; Durer is not simply recording, but also arranging and presenting a particular vision of nature. The drawing prompts us to reflect on how we perceive and interact with our surroundings. What boundaries do we create, and what does it mean to observe and contain nature?