Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/433799
S P O R T I N G C L A S S I C S 5 7 and agonizing (the protective gauntlet that once enwrapped wildlife is steadily vanishing). He wonders how his daughters will view Africa in the middle of this century when they reach his current age. His response is to paint, to arouse a response in viewers, and to proclaim that the essence of African animals cannot be realized in a zoo. It's all about place and the evolutionary forces that made them. A fter going through a quiet, reflective period in his career, Hacking, who just turned 50, is back with a newfound strength and maturity. For him, it's all about perspective: knowing what's important in life and focusing on those essentials is no different from decisions a painter makes. When he paints landscapes, it's as if he's rubbed the dust of time into his brush tips. Color is tempered, not loud, and what you appreciate is composition. With avian subjects, Hacking excels. In Triumphant Strike, a grouse has been taken by a red- tailed hawk. The avian encounter is as evocative as works from Bruno Liljefors or Louis Agassiz Fuertes and incorporates the same shading and earthy tones that the period artists of the 18th and 19th centuries used in their works— styles that he has studied first-hand. "Whenever I visit my family in England I make a point, as a student of history, to visit at least one of the many castles and manors In addition to the fascinating stories of the estates, there are often old paintings," Hacking says. "I especially love the old hunting and game scenes." H acking came of age when the region of southern Africa was producing some excellent wildlife artists who painted in the European tradition. They hailed from Zimbabwe, South Africa, and