Vier studies van een schaap en één van een koe 1848 - 1865

Curator: Here we have "Four Studies of a Sheep and One of a Cow," a pencil drawing on paper by Gerard Bilders, created sometime between 1848 and 1865. It's a more intimate piece than some of the larger landscapes we've seen so far. Editor: There’s a wonderful softness to it, almost a hazy, dreamlike quality. They look like creatures caught in a reverie, not posed for a portrait but genuinely resting. Is it me or do they seem incredibly relaxed? Curator: That’s partly Bilders’ style. He was part of a generation of Dutch artists who wanted to capture the natural world in a more immediate, less formal way. Think of the Realist movement bubbling up around Europe. There was this idea of painting en plein air which would definitely have been involved in producing sketches such as this, made in the field perhaps as part of a larger project? Editor: I love that thought – the idea of Bilders sitting in a field somewhere, sketchbook in hand, just observing these animals in their element. It’s funny how that raw, unvarnished observation translates to something so… tender. I think the immediacy makes it quite unique from other paintings and sketches from the same period. Curator: Exactly! It's interesting to think about how Dutch art historically, often monumentalized the upper classes or celebrated civic identity, here with this study the artist engages the smaller more overlooked inhabitants of the land, perhaps drawing focus and reverence to everyday aspects of the Dutch countryside. Editor: It makes you consider the power of the everyday. The act of observing can be an act of love. They do possess the beauty to capture attention; It's as if they are quietly meditating, at ease with themselves and each other, a perfect portrait. Curator: So next time you find yourself face-to-face with an animal study or drawing remember the skill needed to depict a familiar animal in such depth, or the act of noticing how profound beauty and rest can be. Editor: It’s amazing how a simple pencil sketch can reveal something so much deeper. I for one am heading for a cup of tea, time for a quiet pause of my own.