Zittende en blaffende hond bij eekhoorn c. 1679 - 1729

Hendrick Hulsbergh created this print, “Zittende en blaffende hond bij eekhoorn,” sometime before his death in 1729. The composition is bisected, offering two distinct spatial arrangements. To the left, we find a static grouping of a dog, foliage, and classical architecture. To the right, the space opens to an active, naturalistic scene featuring a barking dog and a squirrel in a tree. Notice how the artist has used line and form to suggest opposing states of being. The dog on the left is sedentary and regal, echoing the static architecture behind it. Conversely, the lines of the barking dog and the branches are jagged and dynamic, evoking movement and energy. This contrast creates a visual tension within the image. Hulsbergh uses these formal devices to explore the relationship between nature and culture, stillness and movement, domesticity and wildness. These visual binaries invite us to contemplate how we categorize and experience our surroundings. What might such an arrangement mean for our understanding of the natural world?