Hyäne auf der Lauer 1905

Wilhelm Kuhnert made this painting of a hyena, probably in oil, without dating it. The colour palette is earthy, all tans, browns, and greys, and the brushwork seems quick and loose, as if trying to capture a fleeting moment. The texture of the paint is smooth in some areas and quite rough in others, like the hyena's fur, which is made up of short, choppy strokes, and I think this gives the animal a sense of energy. The light in the painting is soft and diffused, creating a sense of warmth and stillness, but there is also a feeling of tension, as if something is about to happen. I keep coming back to the skull and the hyena's relationship to it. The hyena seems to be examining it, as if trying to understand what it is. Maybe Kuhnert wants us to consider our own relationship to death and decay, and the ways in which we try to make sense of the world around us, much like he tries to do. The animal paintings of Franz Marc come to mind, but Kuhnert is more representational, more observational, I think.