Flock of Sheep and Goats

Description

Dujardin worked in The Hague and Amsterdam, and traveled to Italy, where he died. He may have been a pupil of Nicolaes Berchem; like his master, Dujardin created pastoral scenes featuring animals and their herders. This sheet reveals Dujardin's interest not only in depicting the bulk and texture of animal forms, but also in suggesting air and space. By leaving much of the sheet untouched in the area of the sky, and by stressing the disparity in size between the large animals in the foreground from the flock in the background, the artist gave a sense of openness and depth.