Nijlpaard 1775 - 1804

This is Barent de Bakker’s “Nijlpaard,” an etching that captures a hippopotamus in a meticulously rendered landscape. The composition immediately draws us to the animal's massive form, emphasized by the contrast between its dark, textured skin and the lighter, delicately etched background. De Bakker’s use of line and shading creates a palpable sense of volume, highlighting the hippo's bulk and its almost comical stance. The backdrop, featuring mountains and stylized vegetation, flattens against the foreground, pushing the hippo into a stark relief. This juxtaposition isn’t merely descriptive; it destabilizes our perception of space. Consider the semiotic weight of this image in its time. The hippo, an exotic creature for European audiences, is presented not in its natural habitat but in a constructed landscape, turning the animal into a symbol of both nature’s grandeur and humanity’s attempt to categorize and control it. The structured lines of the etching itself mirror this act of imposing order onto the natural world. Ultimately, the hippo exists as an artifact to be interpreted.