Liggend varken, naar rechts 1812

This is Jean Bernard's "Liggend varken, naar rechts" or "Lying pig, to the right", a drawing rendered with delicate precision. The pig is laid horizontally across the page with its head to the right. Bernard's composition strikes a delicate balance between naturalism and abstraction. He coaxes a sense of depth and volume with subtle gradations of tone. The drawing is dominated by the pig's form, its body occupying most of the frame. Bernard creates the illusion of texture, inviting the viewer to consider the material qualities of the pig's bristly coat. The choice of subject matter—a commonplace farm animal—challenges conventional notions of beauty and artistic merit. The linear rendering flattens the three-dimensional form of the pig, reducing it to a series of lines and planes on the page. It is in this tension between representation and abstraction that the drawing finds its power, inviting us to reconsider our understanding of form, space, and representation.