Lying calf 

Curator: This captivating drawing is titled "Lying Calf" and it's currently housed here at the Städel Museum. The artist is Friedrich Wilhelm Hirt. Editor: It has a real gentleness to it, doesn’t it? The red chalk gives the calf a warm, almost breathing quality, despite the sketch-like appearance. It feels like a quick study, an observation made on the spot. Curator: Indeed. Red chalk, or sanguine, was a favored medium for studies in the 18th century, especially within academic circles. Hirt’s handling of the material—the way he builds up the form with layers of hatching—speaks to that tradition. The networks of patronage and art academies had a very significant role in promoting this type of highly skilled observation of nature, you see. Editor: And what about the calf itself, the subject matter? Was this merely practice, or did these animal studies serve a greater purpose? How would they inform larger works of art, like landscapes and history paintings? Because beyond a depiction of a calf, it seems also to consider the economic and social implications of agrarian life in the 18th century, doesn't it? This calf represents livelihood, food supply. Curator: Precisely. Livestock was a cornerstone of society and representations of animals served diverse symbolic functions. Within certain artistic and philosophical circles, representations of livestock became intertwined with larger social discourses and movements in the arts. But this sketch is just a piece of drawing that could have many different types of function during those times. Editor: There’s also the stark contrast between the detail in the calf itself and the bareness of the surrounding page. All of the material focus is given to the body of the animal itself. Curator: Well, that could also have been due to pragmatic concerns as well: materials could be expensive. We need to consider that aspect of production when we analyse works such as these. Editor: Good point! This gives me a different angle when viewing art works. Thank you! Curator: You are most welcome! It was a real pleasure for me as well!