Zittende herdershond, een kat en een kattenkop 1848 - 1888

Anton Mauve made this unassuming sketch of a dog and two cats with graphite on paper. This was the time of the rise of Realism, which aimed to depict the everyday world without romanticizing it. Mauve was Dutch, and in the Netherlands, the rural landscape held a special cultural significance. He lived from 1838 to 1888, a time of great social change. Industrialization was rapidly transforming European society, and many artists turned to rural subjects as a way of critiquing this urbanization. Notice the lack of sentimentality: Mauve does not prettify his subject, but represents these animals with all their individual characteristics. As art historians, we might turn to sources like letters, diaries, and exhibition reviews to help us to understand this artwork better. We aim to understand the image not just as a reflection of individual genius, but as something deeply embedded in the culture of its time.