Een leeuwin met haar welpen bij een dode zwarte man, genaamd 'Nemesis' 1870 - 1905

John Macallan Swan made this oil on panel depicting a lioness with her cubs next to a dead Black man, titled 'Nemesis'. 'Nemesis' presents a loaded image deeply entrenched in the colonial mindset of the late 19th century. Made in Britain, this piece reflects the era’s distorted view of Africa, casting it as a place of untamed wilderness where the natural order prevails over human life. The lioness, a symbol of raw power, dominates the scene alongside the Black man whose agency is stripped from him in death. It's impossible to ignore the power dynamics at play. The painting serves as a stark reminder of the prevailing social and political attitudes of the time, where European dominance and racial hierarchies were often justified through such visual narratives. It's a chilling commentary on the era's worldview. To fully understand such art, we turn to historical records, colonial literature, and critical race theory, unpacking the layers of meaning embedded within the image. The power of art lies not just in its aesthetic qualities, but also in its capacity to reveal the complex and often uncomfortable truths about the society that produced it.