Midnight - Black Wolf

"Who's afraid of the big, bad wolf?" This old nursery rhyme is part of a centuries -old myth that wolves are evil. In ancient Europe, wolf and man were actually competitors for the same prey species, such as deer. In some cases, Homo sapiens was an Old World prey species of the wolf. Of course, far more wolves were killed by man than vice versa.

In fact, wolves and man have very much in common: both species are gregarious, have a hierarchy of status, teach their young and work in cooperation. The species' rivalry, however, has fostered a tradition of mutual mistrust. An encounter makes the hair stand up on the back of the necks of both man and wolf.

In this painting I wanted to show an ominous presence of a mature, lone wolf. I wanted to create a mood of seriousness and respect - not threat. From the artistic point of view, I was intrigued by the challenge of portraying a black animal on an almost black background. It is something like playing a whole piano composition in half an octave of the bass section.