Goats and Sheep in a Landscape 1757 - 1764

Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo created "Goats and Sheep in a Landscape" using pen and brown wash, a technique that gives the scene its warm, monochromatic appearance and soft, diffused light. The composition is clustered, with the animals forming a dense, almost sculptural mass in the foreground. Tiepolo masterfully uses line and shadow to define the forms of the animals. The pen strokes vary in thickness, creating a sense of depth and texture, particularly in the wool of the sheep and the rough coats of the goats. The background is suggested with minimal detail, focusing attention on the figures. This selective focus directs our gaze to the interplay of shapes and tones that make up the group of animals. The arrangement of the animals destabilizes traditional landscape conventions. The animals aren’t merely part of the scenery; they dominate it, blurring the line between subject and environment. It challenges our perception of space and representation. The drawing becomes not just a pastoral scene, but a study in form and the semiotics of rural life.