Liggend schaap 1762 - 1814

Curator: I see this image and immediately feel…calm. The muted red chalk, the simple subject matter. It’s like a visual lullaby. Editor: Indeed. This is "Liggend schaap", or "Reclining Sheep," a drawing created sometime between 1762 and 1814, currently housed here at the Rijksmuseum. It’s crafted on paper using pastel, by Jean François Janinet. Curator: Janinet captures the very essence of sheep-ness! The gentle slope of its woolly back, the relaxed posture, its sweet face resting. You almost feel like you could reach out and touch that soft wool. Did he know this sheep personally, I wonder? Editor: One wonders about his relationship to the animal. From an activist's perspective, livestock drawings can highlight our complex relationships with animals: beings who simultaneously offer companionship, agricultural products, and subject to hierarchical exploitation. The choice of rococo and realist style blends this sheep’s individuality with a touch of idealized romanticism. Curator: Absolutely. And the composition, with the sheep taking up most of the space, encourages a sense of intimacy. We aren’t observing it in a vast field, it’s like we’re sitting right next to it. Which gives this artwork a curious sense of vulnerability and stillness that I find disarming. I love it when a seemingly simple piece offers such an open-ended feeling! Editor: That stillness does invite consideration. Is it at peace? Resigned? Complacent? Considering current debates in ethical animal use and welfare, this Rococo sheep, despite its tranquility, offers potent questions. Curator: See, that’s where I struggle. I tend to interpret the artwork itself, almost naively! The broader discussion about animal rights feels outside its artistic expression, at least to me. Am I wrong? Editor: I would say neither approach is wrong, but context provides critical perspectives to this image. The simple visual facts combine and open dialogue. Curator: Exactly. Well, it’s a very calm thought to leave us with. Editor: Yes. And food for thought beyond just woolly subjects!