Uil met prooi belaagd door andere vogels 1594

This print by Nicolaes de Bruyn, made around 1594, presents a densely populated scene of avian conflict, etched with fine lines on paper. The composition is dominated by the contrast between a stoic owl on the left and another being ambushed on the right, around which smaller birds swarm. The stark, almost clinical detail invites us to consider a world governed by power dynamics, rendered through a precise visual language. Notice how the detailed rendering of each feather and beak emphasizes a sense of individual struggle within a larger, chaotic order. This attention to detail challenges any romantic notions of nature, instead presenting a vision of constant competition. De Bruyn uses the medium of etching to create a complex interplay of light and shadow, structuring a moralizing statement on the precarious nature of power, where traditional symbols of wisdom are perpetually under threat.