Wild Man and Wild Woman 1545

This engraving of a wild man and wild woman was created by Hans Guldenmund sometime between 1490 and 1560. In Renaissance Europe, images of wild people were popular, embodying a fascination with the untamed and the natural world. Consider the gender dynamics at play here: the wild man, holding a club, exudes a protective stance over the children, while the wild woman offers her child a stem with flowers. These figures stand as allegories of humanity in its rawest form, their bodies adorned with foliage, suggesting a life deeply connected to the forest. But what does it mean to be civilised? What are we without societal norms and expectations? The wild woman, in particular, challenges conventional ideas of beauty and femininity. She is strong, fertile and presented as an earthy mother figure. These figures prompt us to consider our relationship to nature, gender and the boundaries we draw between civilization and the wild within.