Wapiti, Metro Toronto Zoo Possibly 1984 - 1985

Volker Seding captured this image of a Wapiti at the Metro Toronto Zoo, sometime before 2007. It's a photograph, but think of it as a painting. The colors are muted, almost grey-scale, but with touches of brown. Can you see the deer, stuck in a flat plane, caught behind a fence? I bet Seding stood there, just like us, pondering the scene before him. The deer looks lonely and listless. The picnic tables are empty. Did Seding feel sad, too? Look at the bare trees and gray sky. The image is a little melancholic. Maybe it's the time of year. Or maybe it’s the zoo itself. Artists are always in dialogue with each other, even across mediums. This image reminds me of the Hudson River School painters and their romantic landscapes. But, of course, Seding’s is different. The painting captures a real scene, with a real animal, but it is held captive in a zoo.