Herder met kudde schapen op de heide 1848 - 1888

Anton Mauve made this drawing of a shepherd with a flock of sheep on the heath, using graphite on paper. Mauve has chosen a humble medium. Graphite pencils are commonplace, inexpensive, and unpretentious. Yet, Mauve’s deft handling coaxes incredible depth and texture from the material. Notice how the strokes vary in pressure and direction, suggesting the coarse wool of the sheep, the rough terrain, and the solitary figure guiding the flock. The drawing captures a moment in the life of a rural laborer. Shepherding was a demanding job, often associated with poverty, and a traditional way of life that was rapidly disappearing with the rise of industrialization. The choice of graphite emphasizes the realities of labor and the everyday. By elevating this scene to a work of art, Mauve asks us to reconsider the value of the traditional, the rural, and the working class. It reminds us that true beauty can be found in the most ordinary of materials and lives.