Balthazar Paul Ommeganck was a Flemish artist who painted landscapes and animals. He was a skilled draughtsman and engaged in sculpture, creating clay models of sheep and cows. Through his art and teaching activities, as well as art institutes he founded, he gave an important impetus to the development of landscape painting in the Netherlands, part of which in the first third of the 19th century was the region of Flanders.
In 1799, Ommeganck’s painting won the first prize for landscapes in Paris. Ommeganck did not want to participate in the Paris competition, but the picture was sent by a friend without his knowledge.
Balthazar Paul Ommeganck was a very popular landscape painter in his time. His works were appreciated for his ability to render the effects of light and accurately reproduce local natural landscapes. He managed to find a balance between Realism and idealization of nature. His landscapes show an interest in the depiction of lighting and atmospheric conditions, attention to the topography of the area and details.
The idea of a perfect landscape influenced the compositions of his works. This obsession was related to a more immediate interest in the landscape, which led him to topographical and descriptive depictions. Ommeganck’s style was widely popular in the 18th — early 19th century. All these features can be found in the work “Sheep” by Ommeganck, which was painted in 1822 and belongs to the late period of his work.
The artist conveys a hilly landscape flooded with golden-pink light of the rising sun with great pictorial skill. It is enlivened by a scene with a shepherd, a shepherdess and a small flock of sheep, in the depiction of which the talent of the animalier fully manifested itself. On the left and right, the landscape is framed by the image of a tree and a shrub — the details of the composition characteristic of the decorative landscape of the 18th century. The subdued color palette used by the artist, the golden clouds, and the background disappearing in a haze of light create a peaceful and tranquil mood.
Balthazar Paul Ommeganck’s painting “Sheep” comes from the collection of prince Sergey Dmitriyevich Gorchakov from the Baryatino estate in the Tarussky district, Kaluga Governorate.
In 1799, Ommeganck’s painting won the first prize for landscapes in Paris. Ommeganck did not want to participate in the Paris competition, but the picture was sent by a friend without his knowledge.
Balthazar Paul Ommeganck was a very popular landscape painter in his time. His works were appreciated for his ability to render the effects of light and accurately reproduce local natural landscapes. He managed to find a balance between Realism and idealization of nature. His landscapes show an interest in the depiction of lighting and atmospheric conditions, attention to the topography of the area and details.
The idea of a perfect landscape influenced the compositions of his works. This obsession was related to a more immediate interest in the landscape, which led him to topographical and descriptive depictions. Ommeganck’s style was widely popular in the 18th — early 19th century. All these features can be found in the work “Sheep” by Ommeganck, which was painted in 1822 and belongs to the late period of his work.
The artist conveys a hilly landscape flooded with golden-pink light of the rising sun with great pictorial skill. It is enlivened by a scene with a shepherd, a shepherdess and a small flock of sheep, in the depiction of which the talent of the animalier fully manifested itself. On the left and right, the landscape is framed by the image of a tree and a shrub — the details of the composition characteristic of the decorative landscape of the 18th century. The subdued color palette used by the artist, the golden clouds, and the background disappearing in a haze of light create a peaceful and tranquil mood.
Balthazar Paul Ommeganck’s painting “Sheep” comes from the collection of prince Sergey Dmitriyevich Gorchakov from the Baryatino estate in the Tarussky district, Kaluga Governorate.
