Wolf and Goat Fire Screen

William Hunt Diedrich consistently sought to capture dynamic imagery in his works, most often through compositions featuring animals engaged in combat or play. This fire screen represents one of the artist’s most powerful realizations of this goal. Against a finely wrought background of wire mesh, a cut-steel wolf and goat are entwined in a circular dance of death. The jagged edges of the animals’ tails and fur not only add to the malevolence of their combat but also function as the tabs that attach the silhouettes to the screen. The wavelike rhythm of the screen adds to the dramatic impression of continuous movement.