| The Hunt in the Forest | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Artist | Paolo Uccello |
| Year | c. 1470 |
| Type | Oil painting |
| Dimensions | 65 cm × 165 cm (26 in × 65 in) |
| Location | Ashmolean Museum,Oxford |
The Hunt in the Forest (also known asThe Hunt by Night or simplyThe Hunt) is a painting by the Italian artistPaolo Uccello, made around 1470. It is perhaps the best-known painting in theAshmolean Museum,Oxford, England.[1]
The painting is an early example of the effective use ofperspective inRenaissance art, with the hunt participants, including people, horses, dogs and deer, disappearing into the dark forest in the distance. It was Uccello's last known painting before his death in 1475.[2]
The painting is featured in the "Point of Vanishing" episode of the British TV seriesLewis. A postcard of the painting is discovered as a clue to a murder. Lewis and his colleague visit the painting at theAshmolean Museum on more than one occasion and are instructed on its significant features by a museum expert. The painting provides Lewis with an insight that allows him to solve the case.
John Fowles mentions the painting twice, inThe Ebony Tower andThe Collector: "...the design hits you the moment you see it. Apart from all the other technical things. You know it's faultless."
The poetBruno Tolentino used this painting as the book cover art for the book 'O Mundo Como Idéia.'
Brian Catling also mentions the painting in his 2017 novelThe Erstwhile, describing a "hunt where men ran into darkness, sending dogs and spears darting lie violets into the vanishing point of flickering trees."
ARoblox game titledFrozen Soul/Dream Game had used a part of this painting for a badge titledThe World as an Idea
