Jager in de sneeuw met neergeschoten beer c. 1845 - 1882

This etching by Etienne-Prosper Berne-Bellecour depicts a hunter with his kill, a bear, lying in a snow-covered forest. The image evokes a sense of dominance over nature, a theme deeply rooted in human history. The motif of the hunt, the predator, and the prey is an ancient one. Think of the cave paintings at Lascaux, where animals were depicted as totemic figures or symbols of power. Here, the hunter triumphs, but what does this act of conquest truly represent? The bear, once a symbol of strength, now lies defeated, its primal energy extinguished. The hunter, barely visible in the background, embodies a more modern, mediated form of power through tools and weapons. The image can be viewed as a psychological drama, a display of man's attempt to subdue his own inner animalistic nature. As we trace this symbol through time, from ancient rituals to modern hunting practices, we see a non-linear, cyclical progression, where the primal and the civilized are in constant negotiation.