Twee schapen c. 1884 - 1887

Willem Witsen sketched these two sheep with a soft, smudged graphite pencil. Witsen was a Dutch artist at the turn of the 20th century. In this sketch, the artist does not seem concerned with the accurate depiction of sheep; there's little concern for anatomy here. Instead, Witsen seems interested in the atmospheric rendering of tone and texture, and in the expression of a melancholy mood. In the Netherlands at this time, there was a growing interest among artists in rendering the landscape and everyday life of the countryside. This contrasted with the dominant artistic focus on grand historical themes and portraiture that had long been promoted by European academies of art. To more fully understand Witsen’s practice, one might look to periodicals and exhibition reviews from the period, or delve into the artist's personal correspondence. The meaning we ascribe to art always relies on the study of its historical context.