Jan Stobbaerts, Dogs

by Atelier Liesjes

Two wire-haired dogs are alone in a dimly lit room. On the left, a black-and-white dog sits on a wooden chair with a high, barred back; its head is turned to the right and its long hair hangs in strands down its legs. On the right, a grey-brown dog with a long, matted coat stands on a wooden table, its front paws resting on a dark, frayed cloth. Between them, on the tabletop, lie a pair of scissors, a comb and a pipe. Behind the table is a window with a deep, whitewashed reveal and a wall of yellow brick; to the left, in the twilight, a brass tap or spout glints against the dark wall. The chair is a simple kitchen chair with straight slats, dark brown against the grey wall.
The scene depicts a grooming scene: the dogs are being combed and trimmed, the tools are laid out ready. Yet no hand is to be seen carrying out the work, only the animals waiting patiently. Stobbaerts paints the coats with short, curling strokes in ivory white, grey and umber, against a background of almost black brown tones. Light streams in from the right, casting a narrow sheen on the edge of the table and on the coat of the standing dog. In this way, a modest domestic scene takes on the intimacy of a portrait, in the tradition of nineteenth-century realism. Nothing in the room distracts from these two animals.
Jan Stobbaerts (Antwerp 1838 – Schaerbeek 1914) was a Flemish painter who, in addition to livestock and landscapes, also depicted pets and interiors. He learnt his craft at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp and worked with a loose, direct brushstroke that foreshadowed Impressionism. His work is held at the Royal Museum of Fine Arts in Antwerp. An intimate, characterful piece for a cosy interior.