Stående vædder og et liggende får 1620 - 1683

Curator: Standing Ram and a Lying Sheep by Nicolaes Berchem. It's an etching made with pen and ink. Look at the delicate line work! Editor: There’s a kind of weary stillness about it, isn’t there? The ram standing sentinel over the other. I find the depiction to be rather moving. Almost melancholic. Curator: I think that's absolutely right. See how Berchem renders texture? He uses varied line weights to delineate form and suggest volume. This etching encapsulates his attention to naturalistic detail, even with what appears like very simple subject matter. The baroque really favored pastoral scenes. Editor: True! Look at those horns. The way Berchem has rendered the curves makes them appear heavy but also…worn down, which is funny, I never would’ve thought about sheep’s horns like that before. Curator: He seems to capture a particular light as well, perhaps typical of the Dutch Golden Age style; very natural, with soft shadows enhancing the scene's quietude. Observe the detailed lines that define the wool's texture. What sort of sign system is created to emphasize qualities such as roughness? Editor: Exactly. You feel you could reach out and touch the animals; the piece just seems to beckon viewers in to the intimacy of the depicted moment. This is a tender and delicate glimpse into simple animal husbandry... not sure the ram would necessarily see it as intimate, however. Curator: Absolutely. And, one of the goals of art and careful craftsmanship! Through formal arrangement and carefully rendered textures and tonal variation, the artist brings his world into being—not only for the time it was made but even today, still. What did you think of the light play with your eyes as you initially observed it? Editor: Well, I thought a strong mid-day light seems to sculpt forms while not being so direct as to wash away any subtleties; more contrast with slightly lower shadows. These two elements working together create more of the peaceful ambiance here overall than stark, graphic division. It creates space. Space for thought and room for consideration, just perfect. Curator: Yes indeed; thank you for those considerations; it helps frame the artwork so very well. Editor: It has been my pleasure. A reflective pause, perhaps a deeper resonance to the everyday world of art? A reminder maybe that even the quietest scenes carry stories?