Liggend schaap, bij knotwilg 1660

Marcus de Bye created this etching of a sheep lying near a pollard willow at the Rijksmuseum. The composition immediately draws the eye to the sheep, its woolly coat rendered with a dense network of fine lines that create a rich, tactile texture. De Bye’s choice of etching lends itself well to capturing the subtle nuances of light and shadow across the animal's form, as well as the rough bark of the tree. The sheep is set against a backdrop of a vast, open field with only a few distant trees, drawing attention to the flatness of the picture plane. The artist juxtaposes the pastoral with the artificial. The precise lines and controlled shading are reminiscent of academic drawing practices, while the subject matter evokes a sense of rural tranquility. This tension between representation and abstraction invites us to consider the artistic construction of nature itself.