Vechtende hazen 1892 - 1940

Henri Verstijnen made this energetic drawing of fighting hares with ink on paper, but I’m seeing a bit of abstraction too, like the hares are forms caught in mid-air. I can imagine Verstijnen watching these creatures out in the fields, then going back to the studio to capture their movements. It’s a pretty physical drawing, I can see how the artist is pushing and pulling the pen across the page to catch their energy. The hares are all teeth and claws, a tangle of bodies pushing against one another. Yet it’s also kind of funny. They are so expressive! You know, looking at this, I’m reminded of other animal drawings like those by Dürer, or even some of the wilder cats that Picasso conjured up. Artists have always been drawn to animals. They’re a way of thinking about instinct, desire, and our own animal nature. Maybe Verstijnen is thinking about that, too. It’s exciting how drawings like this can tap into the deepest wellsprings of creativity!