Hert en ree opgejaagd door jagers te paard 1620 - 1664

Editor: So, this is Stefano della Bella's "Hert en ree opgejaagd door jagers te paard," or "Deer and roe deer chased by hunters on horseback," an etching made sometime between 1620 and 1664. It feels very dynamic, all that frantic energy. What stands out to you? Curator: The print is striking in its depiction of power, isn't it? But power enacted upon whom, and for what purpose? Look at how the ‘genre painting’ normalizes a social hierarchy, positioning the hunters on horseback as symbols of authority and control over the natural world and, by extension, those deemed ‘other.’ Consider the social context: hunting as a privilege of the aristocracy. Editor: So, you're saying it's not just a picture of a hunt? Curator: Precisely. We must ask, whose stories are amplified and whose are silenced? The frantic energy you mentioned speaks volumes, but perhaps not in the way we initially assume. The deer's flight reflects the lived experience of the marginalized under the weight of oppressive systems. Is it simply an exciting scene or a critique of power structures? Editor: I hadn't thought of it that way. The deer become a symbol for a different kind of struggle. Curator: And what does that symbol reveal to you about contemporary struggles that echo through time? Are there ways this informs our modern lens regarding ecological exploitation? Editor: That's really powerful. I will look at landscapes differently from now on. Thanks! Curator: My pleasure. The etching serves as a potent reminder to look critically at what the landscape represents, beyond what’s superficially evident.