The Werwolf 

Felicien Rops created this haunting etching titled 'The Werwolf' employing stark lines and shadowy contrasts. Dominating the composition is the werewolf himself. He stands as a totemic figure against the skyline, bearing his hunting spear. In contrast to the active figure of the Werwolf, we see a nude woman lying prone in the foreground. This juxtaposition echoes a primal narrative, reminiscent of Diana and Actaeon. Consider Actaeon, punished for witnessing Diana's nakedness, transformed into a stag, and hunted down by his own hounds. Similarly, in Rops’ image, we witness a moment heavy with consequence, shadowed by transformation and retribution. The werewolf figure is charged with symbolic potency, a manifestation of our deepest fears and desires. He carries the weight of ancient myths. He is the embodiment of the beast within, a timeless figure reborn again and again in our collective imagination. This image touches on humanity’s most basic anxieties surrounding the animalistic forces within, a cycle of fear and fascination.