Dimensions: support: 158 x 242 mm
Copyright: CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 DEED, Photo: Tate
Editor: This sketch by an anonymous British artist features sheep grazing among rocks and shrubbery. It feels like a peaceful, if somewhat bleak, rural scene. What symbols do you see at play here? Curator: The sheep themselves are potent symbols, aren't they? Across cultures, they signify innocence, vulnerability, and the flock. Note how they cluster—suggesting community but also dependence. Editor: Dependence…on what, or whom? Curator: Perhaps on the unseen shepherd, a figure often associated with divine guidance or authority. Are the rocks sheltering or confining? Does the sparse vegetation signify hardship or resilience? The answers are within us. Editor: That's interesting. It feels more layered now, less straightforward. Curator: Indeed. Visual symbols work in precisely this way, weaving together threads of cultural memory and personal experience. I'm glad we explored this together.