Kudde schapen 1864 - 1936

Jan van Essen made this drawing, "Kudde schapen," using graphite on paper. Van Essen, born in 1854, was part of a generation navigating rapid industrialization and urbanization in the Netherlands. Here, the flock of sheep becomes more than just a pastoral scene, it's a commentary on the shifting relationship between humans and nature. The sheep, huddled together, appear almost vulnerable against the stark, sketched landscape. You can almost feel the quiet isolation, the silent communion between the animals and their environment. It evokes a sense of nostalgia for a simpler, agrarian past. While seemingly straightforward, this drawing subtly questions the cost of progress, hinting at the displacement and alienation that often accompany societal change. It invites us to reflect on our own connection to the natural world, and the ways in which our modern lives both shape and separate us from it.