The Fox Hunt (painting)

[2][3] At left several sprigs of red berries breach the snow, and in the distance may be seen the coastline and ocean beneath a deep blue sky.

Homer experienced some difficulty, as the painting was begun late in winter, and warming temperatures caused the stiffened crows to thaw and grow limp.

[4] Homer asked Elbridge Oliver, the Scarborough, Maine stationmaster for his opinion of the painting, and he responded "Hell, Win, them ain't crows".

[4] When exhibited in 1893, the Darwinian aspect of the painting was immediately recognized by critics: "A fox makes his way through the snow, looking sharply at his enemies—two huge crows which are swooping down to devour him, in which their hunger, made savage by the snowstorm which has covered their usual hunting-ground.

[6] As well, the crows have been seen as omens of death,[6] and for Hess, basing his interpretation on Freud's study of Leonardo da Vinci's work, they represent "the nightmare of the flying 'penis'".