Artwork
Een beer overvalt een houthakker, genaamd 'Strijd op leven en dood'
Een beer overvalt een houthakker, genaamd 'Strijd op leven en dood' is an oil painting by the Realist artist Charles Verlat. It dates from 1874 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
About this work
Overview
Charles Verlat’s 1874 oil painting, titled *Een beer overvalt een houthakker, genaamd ‘Strijd op leven en dood’*, captures a dramatic encounter between a bear and a lumberjack amid a dark forest. The scene is rendered in a realist style, emphasizing the physical tension of the struggle and the surrounding wilderness, and is part of the Rijksmuseum’s collection.
Subject & Meaning
The composition centers on a man in a white shirt and blue trousers, clutching a long pole as a massive, nearly black bear presses its forepaws against his shoulders. A small child in a brown dress watches from the edge, her frightened expression adding a narrative layer of vulnerability and danger within the natural setting.
Technique & Style
Verlat employs thick impasto brushwork to model the bear’s fur and the laborer’s strained muscles, creating a tactile surface that heightens the sense of conflict. The contrast between the pale shirt and the deep shadows of the forest underscores the dramatic lighting typical of 19th‑century realist genre painting.
History & Provenance
The work was produced during Verlat’s mature period when he was director of the Antwerp Academy, an institution that briefly counted Vincent van Gogh among its students in 1886. After changing hands several times, the painting entered the Rijksmuseum’s holdings, where it remains on display.
Context
Verlat, a Belgian artist noted for animal studies and portraiture, often explored the relationship between humans and wildlife. This piece reflects the 19th‑century fascination with rugged labor and the untamed natural world, themes common in realist genre scenes that sought to depict everyday drama with fidelity.
Artist & collection
Artist
Charles Verlat or Karel Verlat (25 November 1824 – 23 October 1890) was a Belgian painter, watercolorist, engraver (printmaker), art educator and director of the Antwerp Academy.
