In this startling oil painting entitled Anguish by August Friedrich Schenck, we see an ewe standing protectively over the corpse of her child, defending it from a murder of crows who have come to feast on it. This piece speaks for itself; the grief is palpable, and the despair of the mother is visceral as she bleats at the sky. 

Although I genuinely have a hard time looking at this painting, I desperately wanted to highlight this piece because it emphasizes several important themes in grief. Firstly, although the mother knows that her child is gone, she refuses to leave its side, defending what she loves and protecting what remains of it. I find this especially profound, as those who are grieving may be in denial over the death of a loved one and believe that more can be done to save them. This depiction of the ewe also speaks to not being able to let go, even at the risk of one’s own health. As we can see in the picture, although the ewe is surrounded by hungry crows and stuck in a winter storm, she refuses to abandon her child. This may represent the belief that to continue with one’s life is to betray the loved one who passed. While this is untrue, many struggle to overcome this feeling.

Another perspective on the painting’s meaning comes from Tedd Got, a senior curator at the Gallery of Victoria. He states that the painting may reflect Charles Darwin’s belief in the biological basis of emotions and that animals have similar emotions to humans.

Schenck also created a similar painting in 1885 entitled L’Orphelin, souvenir d’Auvergne (“The Orphan, memory of Auvergne”). In this painting, we see the roles reversed: a lamb huddled by the corpse of its mother, terrified of the surrounding birds of prey. The body language and expression on the lamb’s face excellently convey the fear it feels at being left alone and its refusal to leave the one thing that has been constant in its life: its mother. This painting is held in the Musée d’Orsay in Paris, France. 

You can find more on the piece Anguish by following this link: https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/school_resource/art-start/image-bank/august-friedrich-schenck/

You can find more on the piece L’Orphelin, souvenir d’Auvergne by following this link: https://www.musee-orsay.fr/fr/oeuvres/lorphelin-souvenir-dauvergne-21006

Contributing author: Sophie Wagner

Image Credit:

Body Image: Anguish by August Friedrich