Return of the Flock

Anton Mauve taught and painted with Vincent van Gogh, whose cousin he married. Mauve’s predilection for pastoral subjects results from both the revival of interest in seventeenth-century Dutch painting and French Realism. Distinct from his predecessors and contemporaries, he distinguished himself by his adept ability to render not only landscapes, but also sheep, a subject that met with great success in the North American art market.