Schapen op een heuvel c. 1876 - 1888

Editor: Right now, we're standing in front of "Sheep on a Hill," a pencil drawing done by Anton Mauve sometime between 1876 and 1888. It's currently held at the Rijksmuseum. It's very understated, almost ephemeral. What jumps out at you? Curator: It’s interesting you say that! I see more than just a field. Doesn't the sketchy quality of the work remind you of memory itself? Like trying to grasp onto something that's fading? It's impressionistic, sure, but there's also a rawness to the lines, almost a struggle to capture the light just so, wouldn't you say? Like the light and flock will shift at any second? Editor: I didn’t think about it that way. It feels…vulnerable. All those fragile lines trying to define sheep, a landscape. Was Mauve known for that fragility? Curator: Perhaps not known, but certainly felt. Think about his relationship to Van Gogh, a cousin by marriage. He tutored Van Gogh for a time, influenced him. Could this be a peek into his inner world? This need to seize a moment? To see art so delicately can speak more profoundly, right? Maybe vulnerability *is* strength, huh? Editor: I see your point. Maybe it’s not *just* a field with sheep. It’s about the fleeting nature of, well, everything. I think I get that now. Curator: Beautiful isn’t it, how something so simple can contain so much?