French painter Charles Émile Jacque (1813 - 1894) has appeared in these pages before and is one of my favorites.
(click for BIGness)
Here he depicts a shepherd bringing his flock home in the night, moving by the light of the half moon lying low in the sky.
I admire how he uses the moonlight to reveal just enough detail--a patch of cloud in the sky, a single sheep face, and the brim of the shepherd's hat to suggest the rest of the scene. And although the far reaches of the scene appear to be in darkness, a closer examination of the enlarged image reveals that, in fact, no part of the scene is in full darkness.
However hard I look, though, I can't find the shepherd's dog, which I know is in there somewhere. But since all the dogs in Jacques' sheep paintings are black, I must be rest content in the knowledge that the dog is in there somewhere, on duty and working extra hard in the darkness.
I think the stick the shepherd carries points directly at the dog's head, which can be seen in _front_ of the shepherd. The dog is slightly ahead of him and to the shepherd's left. Look for the shape of the nose. Not a sheep's nose.
Posted by: =Tamar | September 21, 2008 at 05:35 AM
Call me crazy, but isn't that a dog to the far left of the painting, directly behind the shepherd?
Posted by: melanie | August 21, 2008 at 08:40 PM
Another amazing painting! Coming here, I think I learn even more about art than I do about wool...
Posted by: Beth S. | August 20, 2008 at 03:46 PM
Beautiful - thank you for introducing me to works and artists that I might not see otherwise (even tho I am an art history student and have visited so many museums) This one is stunning. Thank you!
Posted by: danana | August 20, 2008 at 11:29 AM
That is stunningly beautiful.
Posted by: Laurie | August 19, 2008 at 08:59 AM
Chiaroscuro is one of my favorite elements in classical oils - nice!
Posted by: Sharon | August 17, 2008 at 02:30 PM
I've missed your posts! Glad to have you back!
On the far left of the image, there seems to be a dog shape (the top of the dog's head is about level with the shepherd's bottom). Looks more dog than sheep, I think.
Although, to be honest, I don't think I would have even noticed it if you hadn't mentioned that there's always a dog.
Posted by: luneray | August 17, 2008 at 01:36 PM
ooh, that's lovely! Is there always a dog in Jacque's shepherd paintings?
Posted by: Account Deleted | August 17, 2008 at 11:49 AM
I think that is an amazing picture. There's just enough detail to tell what's happening. And it's all lovely.
Posted by: Janice in GA | August 17, 2008 at 11:34 AM