The Return to the Fold

Anton Mauve was a leading member of the Hague School, the Dutch counterpart to the Barbizon painters in France. In this work, he turns one of his most popular subjects into a quiet rural scene: a shepherd guiding his flock through the Dutch countryside. Mauve's muted palette and loose handling emphasize atmosphere and the textures of land, sky, wool, and weather rather than anecdotal detail. The painting also reflects the market for Mauve's sheep pictures, which were especially admired by collectors and priced differently depending on whether the animals were shown coming toward or going away from the viewer. Vincent van Gogh, who studied with Mauve in 1881-82, admired him as a major interpreter of the gray Dutch landscape.