En vædder 1748 - 1831

Editor: So, here we have "En Vædder," or "A Ram" created between 1748 and 1831 by J.F. Clemens. It’s an etching and aquatint print. There’s something very pastoral and… I don’t know… almost comical about it. That ram looks like he knows something we don't. What captures your eye in this work? Curator: Oh, this ram! He's giving me such Hamlet vibes, standing there contemplating existence, or maybe just deciding which blade of grass looks tastiest. It's interesting how Clemens uses these printmaking techniques, etching and aquatint, to give the ram's wool so much texture and almost a tangible weight. Does the landscape give you any feelings, anything that might connect with our modern, hurried lives? Editor: Well, I definitely get a sense of…peacefulness? The buildings in the background seem quaint and the ram doesn't appear threatening. Do you think that was Clemens' intention, to depict a kind of harmony between nature and… livestock, I guess? Curator: Perhaps. Or maybe he’s just being observant! He might have thought, what is it like to be a Ram? The everyday-ness of it all is worth considering. Though now that you mention it, there's a bit of romanticizing of rural life that was popular at the time, you know, idealizing country life, which adds another layer of interpretation to it. But the directness, for me, that is charming. What is something you will now carry forward with you when looking at other works of art? Editor: That’s interesting. I think I'll start asking myself more about how an artwork connects to bigger trends happening in the culture. And try to look at an image and see through another person's or, ahem, another ram's, eyes. Curator: Exactly. I'll ponder how humor and observation combine and become something more thoughtful and meaningful. A surprisingly insightful ram indeed.