Studie van een luipaard, liggend op een tak 1857 - 1910

John Macallan Swan made this study of a leopard lying on a branch with a pencil on paper. Swan, born in 1847, came of age during a time of great colonial expansion, when the western gaze was cast far and wide. Animals, like people, were subject to objectification and control. Here, though, the leopard appears serene, relaxed. But there is also a tension in the piece. The leopard is an animal of great power and beauty, yet it is also a symbol of the exotic 'other', something to be observed and studied. Consider this drawing in relation to broader themes of representation and power. Who gets to look? Whose stories are told? What does it mean to capture the essence of a creature in a drawing, and what are the ethics of that act? Perhaps this small drawing opens a window into questions of identity, difference, and the complex relationship between humans and the natural world.