Zwarte neushoorn en schedel van een zwarte neushoorn 1787

This print presents us with two views of the same creature, rendered in stark monochrome: above, the skeletal remains of a Black Rhinoceros’s skull, and below, the animal in full, fleshy form. The contrast between the ephemeral draped cloth behind the skull and the open, undefined landscape that provides a backdrop to the rhino itself creates a visual paradox. The stark representation asks us to confront the Black Rhinoceros in its totality—both as a living entity and a symbol of mortality. The artist compels us to reflect on our understanding of life and death through structural composition. The lack of color and minimal shading flattens the image, reducing the animal to its most essential forms and lines. The semiotic tension—between the solid presence of the rhino and the ghostly skull—challenges any fixed notion of what it means to represent nature. It prompts an ongoing reflection on how we perceive, categorize, and ultimately assign meaning to the world around us.