This article examines the depiction of polar bears in Dutch painting and graphics from the late 16th to the early 18th centuries. Reports of the first encounters between Dutch humans and polar bears established the idea of these animals as aggressive predators. This idea dominated the image of the b...

Ausführliche Beschreibung

Bibliographische Detailangaben

1. Verfasser:	Bauernfeind, Robert ca. 20. / 21. Jh (VerfasserIn)
Format:	Artikel
Sprache:	English
Veröffentlicht:	[2021]
Schlagworte:	Geschichte 1580-1720 Jagd Malerei Eisbär Druckgrafik Tierdarstellung Niederlande
Zusammenfassung:	This article examines the depiction of polar bears in Dutch painting and graphics from the late 16th to the early 18th centuries. Reports of the first encounters between Dutch humans and polar bears established the idea of these animals as aggressive predators. This idea dominated the image of the bear in illustrated travelogues as well as in allegorical depictions of the Arctic and whaling pictures. The polar bear thus became a symbol for the dangers of the region and appears as an obstacle to the human exploitation of the Arctic. However, depictions of the bloody hunt for polar bears indicate the economically motivated triumph of Europeans in this inhospitable area.
Beschreibung:	Illustrationen
ISSN:	0169-6726