Weiland met drie liggende en één staande koe c. 1862 - 1864

This is Johannes Tavenraat's sketch of cows, likely made in the mid-19th century using pen and ink. The composition is striking; the cows are not neatly arranged but seem to tumble down the page. Tavenraat uses a stark monochrome palette, focusing on line to define form, with varied line weights suggesting depth and shadow. The sketch has a raw, immediate quality. The lines are not precise but rather capture the essence of the animals in repose and the landscape around them. This technique aligns with the broader artistic shifts of the time, moving towards capturing fleeting impressions and raw emotive expression, rather than idealized representations. Consider how Tavenraat disrupts traditional pastoral scenes. Instead of a serene depiction of grazing cows, there is a sense of dynamic movement, almost as if the cows are part of the landscape's own chaotic energy. This subversion challenges the fixed, picturesque values often associated with rural life, inviting us to see the Dutch landscape in a new, unstructured light.