Et stående og et pissende får 1620 - 1683

Editor: This is Nicolaes Berchem’s etching from the 17th century, delightfully titled "Et stående og et pissende får" – "A Standing and a Pissing Sheep." I find it…unassuming, to say the least. Two sheep, rendered with such fine lines. It’s…frank. What’s your take on this rather direct depiction? Curator: Ah, yes. Berchem! You know, there's a deceptive poetry here. We are so used to grand Baroque drama, that such simplicity almost feels subversive. Genre paintings, right? But this everyday…action… it’s pure life, isn't it? Look at the line work, quick and decisive. Capturing the moment. I bet Berchem laughed while making this, don't you think? Did he just see a sheep, get amused, and thought, "That's going in a print!" Editor: I suppose there's an honesty to it. It is rather charming. A scene so common made uncommon through art. Would this be hung up with, like, religious scenes, do you reckon? Curator: Perhaps not beside biblical scenes, darling, but amongst other landscapes or genre scenes, absolutely! It speaks to a growing interest in the real world, you see? Now, about those lines – they feel spontaneous, capturing a fleeting moment. Makes me wonder if there is anything about this artwork you do not feel? Editor: I still find myself stuck on how ordinary the scene is. Like, is art really about this? Though I see your point on the sheer boldness. So unexpected, but maybe that is part of art, eh? Curator: Exactly! Isn’t that delicious? Breaking expectations. And the beauty is how this mundane act can inspire this exchange we are having! Wonderful!