Twee leeuwen vechten om een antilope 1879 - 1910

Eugène Van Hove made this print, “Two lions fighting over an antelope,” using etching. It gives us a glimpse into the violent struggle for survival in the animal kingdom. Van Hove, born in 1869, operated within a European society that was obsessed with categorizing the world, often imposing hierarchies. Through that lens, these lions might be seen as symbols of power, their dominance asserted through brute force. What is left unsaid is the impact of that power. The antelope, reduced to a prize, represents the vulnerability inherent in the food chain. The print captures a raw, almost unsettling energy. The lions, locked in combat, evoke a sense of primal aggression. This portrayal deviates from more sentimental depictions of nature, instead offering a stark meditation on the cost of survival. It pushes us to consider our own place within the systems of power and vulnerability.