Studies van schapen 1816 - 1882

This red chalk drawing of sheep was made by James de Rijk, a Dutch artist who lived in the 19th century. It's a study sheet rather than a finished composition, but the subject matter is suggestive. In 19th century Europe, the sheep was not merely a farm animal, but a symbol. For conservative thinkers, sheep represented the ideal docile citizen following the flock. More progressive minds, on the other hand, associated the species with backwardness and lack of individual agency, precisely the qualities the new social order sought to displace. These associations would have been obvious to viewers in the Netherlands at this time, due to the country’s agricultural economy and the prominence of animals within the Dutch artistic tradition. To understand the drawing's meaning more fully, we might consider de Rijk’s other works, the exhibition venues where they were shown, and the critical reaction to them. Art is always embedded in the context of its time, and its meanings shift as that context changes.