Vos 1775 - 1833

Editor: This is "Vos" by Jean Bernard, created sometime between 1775 and 1833. It's a pencil drawing of a wolf...or maybe a very angry dog! I find its teeth really striking. What's your interpretation of it? Curator: It snarls with a feral defiance, doesn't it? Like a soul laid bare. I see a reflection of our own internal struggles—the beast within that we try so hard to tame. And, ironically, the untamed, natural spirit humanity squashes. Ever felt like showing your teeth to the world? I know I have! What do you suppose inspired Bernard to fixate on this animal and its ferocious nature? Editor: Maybe it reflects the Romantic period's interest in intense emotion and the power of nature? It definitely stirs up feelings of unease, maybe even a little fear. I'm thinking about what stories I learned when little of wolves and terror and I wonder if they didn't prime me to read it that way. Curator: Exactly! Think of it as a psychological landscape, rendered in graphite. The sparse background throws the raw, almost brutal emotion of the subject into sharp focus. It reminds me that humans aren’t the only ones facing difficult situations. But it isn’t about ‘rational’ comparison; it is about how the world “feels.” Have you experienced that effect looking at an artwork before? Editor: Definitely! I guess I had tunnel-vision and only saw a fearsome creature. You helped me see the wolf as a metaphor, a kind of mirror reflecting more than just its own snarl. It kind of makes me empathize with him, even though he looks ready to bite! Curator: Empathy, fear, disgust, rage…isn't it amazing what a simple drawing can provoke? Editor: It really is. Thanks, that gives me a lot to chew on—pardon the pun!