Zeug met biggen 1872 - 1944

Frans Smissaert made this watercolour drawing, Zeug met biggen, at an unknown date. He works in the tradition of painting what he sees, and he clearly sees a pig in front of him. This is a really beautiful drawing! I love the way Smissaert uses the wash of the watercolor to describe the shape of the pig, but it's not overworked. It's a simple approach, but it’s so economical, and the drawing is allowed to breathe and move with the forms. Look at the way he renders the ground on which the pig is laying with bold, dark strokes. There's a real energy to it, but also a sensitivity to the animal's form. In a way, this drawing reminds me of the work of Courbet, who also had an amazing talent for depicting animals in a very realistic and unsentimental way. It’s a painting of a pig, but it's also so much more than that. It's a painting about the beauty of the everyday and the power of art to transform the mundane into something truly special.