"Fox Kid 2"

The red fox (Vulpes vulpes) develops very early the initiative and lively curiosity that characterise its species. Raised in the darkness of the den, the young cub discovers daylight with a fascination tinged with caution. Its downy coat, still greyish-brown before taking on the blazing red of the adult, barely conceals an agility yet to come; the sharpness of its senses, however, is already fully awake.

The little fox is captured at rest, sitting and slightly curled up on itself, yet with its head proudly raised towards the viewer — the contrast between the calm roundness of the body and the alertness of the head. The watercolour plays on the fluidity of golden and copper pigments that fray freely into the white of the paper to suggest the down, while sharper lines define the muzzle, the black nose and the bright gaze. It is this dialogue between the softness of a gathered posture and the awakening of a captivated attention that makes the subject: the rest of a small wild creature, emerging from the void.