Hazen, landschap met een molen en twee honden die een haas uiteen rijten en twee honden c. 1873 - 1874

This is a pen drawing, by Johannes Antonius Canta, depicting dogs tearing apart a hare, set against a landscape with a windmill. Canta, who lived through much of the 19th century, was working in a time of massive social and economic change, with urbanization transforming the Dutch landscape. Here, we are offered a scene that seems both pastoral and brutally honest about life in the countryside. The dogs, symbols of domestication, are shown in their primal state. You can almost hear the hare’s cry, feel the desperation of its struggle. The windmill looms in the background, a testament to human industry and intervention in nature. Canta doesn't shy away from showing the harsh realities that underpinned the idyllic images of rural life. It’s a reminder that even in the most serene settings, there's an inherent struggle for survival. And perhaps, it's also a commentary on the human condition, where we, too, are often caught in our own struggles, our own hunts.