Lying sheep 

Friedrich Wilhelm Hirt created this drawing of a sheep at an unknown date, now held in the Städel Museum. The drawing employs soft pencil strokes to capture the sheep's woolly texture. The composition is simple: the sheep rests horizontally, filling the frame with its substantial form. Hirt uses line to convey the animal's volume and shape, while the tonal variations suggest depth and shadow. The lack of strong contrast or defined edges gives the drawing an unfinished quality, drawing attention to the materiality of the work. This invites reflection on the semiotic relationship between representation and reality. The drawing captures the essence of the animal through minimal means. It challenges our understanding of what constitutes a ‘finished’ work of art. Ultimately, this emphasis on the process and the raw elements of artmaking invites us to consider the drawing as a meditation on form, inviting multiple interpretations.