The Big Fish Eat the Little Fish 1557

Editor: This print, "The Big Fish Eat the Little Fish" by Pieter van der Heyden, feels incredibly chaotic, but also pointed. The details are overwhelming! How do you interpret this work? Curator: It's a wild piece, isn't it? I see a world turned upside down. This print, after a drawing by Bosch, speaks to a brutal social commentary, a dog-eat-dog – or rather, fish-eat-fish – world. Each figure is caught in a cycle. What do you make of the figures actually butchering the giant fish? Editor: It's like even in victory, there's only more violence. A grim message about hierarchy. I hadn't considered the butchering aspect. Curator: Exactly! It’s as though van der Heyden is saying, "Even when you win, you're still part of the food chain.” Pretty bleak, eh? Editor: Definitely food for thought. Thanks for pointing out the nuances!