Schaap in een weiland voor een boerderij op Texel c. 1900 - 1930

This photograph, by Richard Tepe, captures a sheep in a field on a Texel farm. It's all sepia tones, like a memory fading into the landscape. I find myself drawn to the way the light catches on the sheep's wool, how the texture almost feels tangible. The sheep looks directly at the camera, confronting the viewer, almost seeming to pose for its portrait. There is something that makes me think of, say, a 17th century Dutch pastoral painting in this image. Maybe it's the simplicity of the scene, or maybe it is the quiet dignity of the subject, there is definitely something about Tepe's work that is deeply rooted in the artistic traditions of his home country.