Sheep n.d.

Johann Christoph Kimpfel made this drawing, "Sheep," probably sometime in the late 18th century, using pen and brown ink with gray wash on laid paper. The artist’s approach to the textures of fleece gives a clue to the economic context here. Wool was an incredibly important commodity at this time, and the sheep were valuable because of it. You can see how Kimpfel uses hatching and cross-hatching to build up the volumes of the animals' bodies, making the most of the contrast between the brown ink and the paper. The gray wash adds further depth, subtly shaping the forms and suggesting the soft, dense quality of the wool. Kimpfel’s skill emphasizes the significance of these animals and their fleeces within a burgeoning capitalist system. Consider this drawing as not just a pastoral scene, but as an appreciation of the raw material that drove economies. It invites us to think about the connection between labor, materials, and artistic representation.