Twee jachthonden in het veld 1840 - 1880

Johannes Tavenraat sketched these two hunting dogs in the field with pen in the 19th century. The dogs, with their sinuous forms and expressions of fervent energy, embody the archetypal hunting motif that has coursed through art history. Think of the dogs in ancient Roman mosaics, forever chasing their prey in an eternal loop. Or the hounds baying in medieval tapestries, emblems of noble pursuits. The image is rendered in quick strokes, reminiscent of the dynamism found in Delacroix’s animal studies. Here, the canine form becomes a vessel for conveying raw, instinctual energy, an emotional state that resonates with our own primal urges. This visual language, passed down through generations, taps into a collective memory of humanity’s relationship with nature. Just as dogs have evolved alongside us, their artistic representation has transformed, reflecting shifts in cultural values and our own subconscious projections.