Geschoren hond liggend naar rechts 1803

Editor: This is "Geschoren hond liggend naar rechts," or "Shaved Dog Lying to the Right," an 1803 drawing by Monogrammist JBM. It seems like a simple study of a fluffy dog in profile, rendered with very fine pencil lines. What can you tell me about this piece? Curator: What immediately strikes me is how the "shaved" nature of the dog highlights a shift in human-animal relationships. By 1803, we're moving further from working animals to companions. Do you see how the shaved areas accentuate its vulnerability? Editor: Yes, I see that. It does seem less wild and more like a pampered pet. What does the rendering style communicate? Curator: Notice the almost frantic energy in the lines used to depict the fur, yet the pose is passive. It speaks to a growing cultural anxiety, perhaps even foreshadowing industrial anxieties, about control versus freedom, nature versus artifice. The dog, once purely functional, is now shaped –literally– by human will. Does the shaved dog invite empathy or does it create distance? Editor: That’s an interesting point, it does feel like the dog has been turned into a kind of living doll or a toy. The fur almost looks like a costume that has been tailored onto the dog. Curator: Precisely! And in that shift, we glimpse anxieties about identity itself – natural versus constructed. An artist’s simple study reveals a fascinating tension. Editor: This artwork really highlights the complex relationship humans have with the natural world, a theme I hadn't initially considered when looking at this seemingly simple sketch. Thank you for showing me that.