Drijfjacht op herten 1667 - 1727

Michiel Carree's "Deer Hunt," rendered in pen and gray ink, plunges us into a scene rife with primal pursuit. Deer, symbols of both grace and vulnerability, scatter as hunters close in, weapons raised. Consider the stag, its antlers a crown of the forest. Across millennia, the stag has been a totemic emblem of power, virility, and the hunt itself. We see echoes of this in ancient Greek myths of Artemis, the huntress, and even in the medieval legends of the Green Man, a symbol of nature's untamed force. This chase reminds us that the hunt is not merely a practical act, but also a symbolic engagement with life, death, and dominance. The act of hunting, deeply rooted in our collective psyche, evokes a visceral response. This age-old ritual plays out across cultures, from cave paintings to modern cinema, revealing our complex relationship with the natural world. Carree’s drawing is part of an unending cycle where symbols evolve, regress, and reappear.