Fighting Dogs

Adriaen van de Velde

National Gallery of Art

This is a drawing of three animals in a landscape. Two of the animals are engaged in a physical encounter. The drawing shows two dogs or similar animals in a confrontational pose. One animal is lunging over the other, which is on the ground. The third animal in the background is walking across the grassy landscape. The sky has scattered clouds and a pattern of birds in flight. The drawing uses lines and shading to show texture in the fur of the animals and the landscape.