"The fox, always a symbol of slyness, and cleverness whenever it appears in Aesop's Fables, would never waste time in my opinion on grapes entirely out of reach. Compositionally, the problem as I saw it was to position the grapes just high enough to keep the fox's interest. If he stands on the tree roots, if the wind is just right, he might just with a little luck reach the juicy grapes. I use his shadow to project his intention, but then I introduce the hill as a permanent barrier between the fox and the grapes. It also serves as a reminder that the fox is an earth-bound creature and will never be airborne."