Schaapherders met lastdieren 1835 - 1886

Curator: Well, if it isn’t “Schaapherders met lastdieren,” or "Shepherds with Pack Animals," an etching print created by Léon Gaucherel sometime between 1835 and 1886. Editor: It feels...dusty. Not in a bad way. More like an old memory. It's all so monochrome and hazy, you can almost feel the wool of those sheep. A long, long, time ago. Curator: Indeed. Notice the intricate lines and the texture Gaucherel achieved with etching. The density of the marks describes form but also affects the overall luminosity and atmosphere. The formal arrangements give this the overall impression of… a pastoral march. Editor: Right? The light feels so soft and distant and makes the edges all soft like an ancient fairytale. I'm not sure who's in charge; all the people are anonymous blobs, they are not the subject but merely an element in a bigger natural painting, which somehow adds to the nostalgia I am perceiving. Is there an idealisation to be gleaned here? Curator: That’s interesting because if you look at how he renders depth and distance by altering the size and definition of each stroke it gives the image depth of space while reinforcing an allegorical plane, perhaps alluding to time’s passage. In short, I agree, the image resonates as if to some ancient epoch, far removed from any industrial production. Editor: Perhaps the piece suggests an appreciation for an ancient way of life now disappeared? It feels like a tribute more than a depiction; even the title written beneath sounds more poetic than descriptive, which somehow confirms the emotional mood of the piece, and is not the first time with printmaking pieces of art; artists use printing to distribute nostalgia through melancholic compositions like this one, I'm just sure. Curator: Well said. The interplay between the dark, assertive strokes defining the trees and the lighter, subtler etching across the path definitely amplifies such emotions in what is certainly a poignant contemplation on the human relationship to our world. Editor: Yes, thank you. An ode from yesteryear, then.