Anguish

I know, this is a weird painting. But I couldn't resist when I saw it for the first time and I had to publish it in DailyArt!

August Schenck spent most of his career in France, specializing in painting landscapes and animal subjects. For over thirty years he was a regular exhibitor at the Paris Salons, where Anguish was first shown in 1878. In Anguish, Schenck has given the ewe clearly recognizable human characteristics, such as determination and sorrow, so that the viewer immediately identifies with its predicament and emotions. The sinister murder of crows also appear organized and patiently await a moment of weakness. Schenck is here metaphorically examining a broader human condition in the context of an animal painting.

There are many paintings depicting farm animals troughout art history. Read our "Holy Cow!" story at the DailyArt Magazine.