Schetsblad met twee geiten en drie rammen 1786 - 1839

Pieter Gerardus van Os created this sketch of goats and rams with pen and brush in the early 19th century. Dutch artists in this period were very interested in the realities of rural life. The urban elites that comprised their audience were obsessed with a romanticized version of the countryside. The interest in farm animals shows how Dutch artists were turning to everyday subjects, trying to capture the essence of Dutch identity and nationhood. Van Os was part of a family of artists working in the Netherlands at the time. The art world was changing, as institutions such as the Rijksmuseum, where this work is held, were founded to protect and promote Dutch culture. To better understand Van Os's work, we can explore the institutional histories of Dutch art and the socio-economic conditions that shaped artistic patronage in the Netherlands at that time. The meaning of this sketch resides not only in its aesthetic qualities but also in its relationship to the changing social and cultural landscape of the Netherlands.