The Fighting Capercaillies

The Fighting Capercaillies (Finnish: Taistelevat metsot) depicts two male capercaillies locked in combat in a hazy Finnish forest clearing at dawn, watched from the side by a female bird. Painted by Ferdinand von Wright in 1886, the work is grounded in the close natural and scientific observation that defined the von Wright brothers' bird and landscape painting. Unlike his brothers, Ferdinand favoured narrative and dramatic tension, and the composition is often noted for its use of the golden ratio. Though considered somewhat old-fashioned in artistic circles even at the time of its making, it became famous across Finland after being shown at the Ateneum in 1888. It has since carried shifting metaphorical readings in times of both war and peace. Today it is one of Finland's most beloved paintings and probably the most copied work of art in the country.