Schapenkop 1859

Curator: Dirk van Lokhorst created this remarkable pencil drawing, “Schapenkop,” which, wonderfully and rather straightforwardly, translates to "Sheep's Head", back in 1859. What strikes you most about it? Editor: The immediacy. There’s an arresting stillness in its gaze. And those eyes…they aren’t just seeing, they're seemingly processing something deeply internal. What a face, really! The portrait feels like an intense observation of not just an animal, but perhaps a felt representation of some human archetype too. Curator: Precisely! I see a creature caught in a moment of…pensiveness? Or perhaps resigned acceptance of its existence? The realism Lokhorst achieved here using just a humble pencil is something to celebrate. What are some of the recurring symbols in sheep imagery and why might it matter? Editor: Sheep, historically and culturally, appear as symbols of innocence, gentleness, and are often associated with themes of sacrifice. Think about the Christian allegory of the lamb. But Lokhorst's portrait, for me, resists such simple readings. The furrowed brow, those deeply shadowed eyes, suggests something of a melancholic introspection, perhaps even knowledge, challenging their simple connection to innocence. Curator: It's a wonderful challenge to our inherited visual language. Lokhorst somehow manages to pull this being right to the brink of emotional intelligence. What I also notice in terms of realism are the beautifully rendered, rough details – each strand of wool is delicately captured. You can almost feel the texture. The composition, tightly focused on the face, enhances that intense feeling of direct engagement. I almost imagine this sheep could suddenly begin talking! Editor: And if it did talk, what stories it could tell? Perhaps it is simply seeing through all our grand pretensions and silent sufferings, with gentle wisdom beyond our grasp. It makes you want to approach life, even just a little, with an unjudging curiosity, wouldn’t you say? Curator: Absolutely, an artist drawing an animal can give viewers the occasion to imagine life beyond our limited experiences and ways of seeing and knowing. This old artwork has gifted me a novel curiosity about non-human encounters! Editor: Absolutely, you never know what feelings, knowledge or memory can arise from an encounter that appears so very simple!