Pastoral Landscape

Balthazar Paul Ommeganck 1755 - 1826

Summary

This painting by the Flemish landscapist Balthazar Paul Ommeganck depicts a small flock of sheep and a goat in a hilly pasture planted with pollarded willows. A dead tree is prominent on the right of the painting. A couple of shepherds are talking nearby, one standing on the path with his stick, the other resting on the grass with his dog in front of him. In the background, a man and a dog are heading in the direction of a steep-roofed cottage. It is evening: a diffuse golden light spreads over the pasture, and the willows and grassy hillocks cast long shadows. The picturesque, undulating landscape and the play of warm light are typical of Ommeganck's work. His favourite sites were in the Ardennes, especially the banks of the River Meuse and its tributaries around Liège, Namur and Luxembourg.