Hert aangevallen door wolven 1840 - 1880

Johannes Tavenraat rendered this frenzied scene of a 'Deer Attacked by Wolves' with pen and ink. The deer, a symbol often associated with gentleness and vulnerability, is here a desperate figure, beset by predatory wolves. Consider the wolf, historically a symbol of wilderness but also of cunning and aggression. These beasts, clinging to the deer’s back, evoke ancient struggles of survival and dominance, recalling similar themes in works like Rubens’ 'Wolf and Fox Hunt'. The deer's frantic leap is a primal scream visualized, tapping into a collective memory of fear and flight. The motif of the hunted echoes across time and cultures, from Paleolithic cave paintings to Renaissance tapestries. This eternal chase scene embodies the inescapable cycle of life and death, a powerful force engaging us on a subconscious level. The deer as a victim resurfaces, evolving from a symbol of innocence to a poignant emblem of our own mortality.