Et brægende får 1859

Johannes Wilhelm Zillen created this print, “Et brægende får”, the Danish title translating to “A Bleating Sheep”. Zillen was working during a time when many European artists were turning to rural life as a source of authenticity. The artist here uses an animal, not a person, to express this connection. You can see the sheep, caught mid-bleat, straining against its collar and chain, seemingly yearning for something just out of reach. In the background, the figure of a shepherd is dwarfed by the tall grass. He’s there, but almost disappears into the landscape. There is a sense of longing in this seemingly simple image – a desire for freedom, a connection to nature, that perhaps reflects the growing pains of a society rapidly changing due to industrialization. The sheep's call becomes a symbol of humanity's own yearning for a simpler past.