Grazende stier 1798 - 1848

Curator: Here we have "Grazende stier," or "Grazing Bull," a rather unassuming print made sometime between 1798 and 1848. The anonymous artist worked in etching to depict a single bull feeding in a grassy field. What's your take? Editor: It's odd. This bull feels monumental, not because of its actual size in the composition, but due to the stark loneliness surrounding it. Makes you think about its whole bovine existence. Curator: Interesting. Considering the social context, it’s not unusual. Images of livestock often served both practical and symbolic functions. Agricultural societies were dependent on the health and productivity of their animals. Depicting a bull this way could reinforce an idealized vision of rural life and agrarian prosperity. Editor: Idealized, huh? Look at those ribs. Doesn't exactly scream abundance to me. It is true to the reality of livestock farming, perhaps. All that heavy line work… it makes me think of the sweat of rural life, of weatherworn fences and honest labor, yet so minimal, and a bit surreal for it. Curator: Yes, well, etching, as a printmaking technique, allowed for relatively easy reproduction, making such images widely accessible, serving as educational or decorative pieces within a growing middle class interested in rural subject matter. Editor: Or…hear me out...it is maybe that the artist wanted to give the middle class a dose of melancholy reality of working-class rural life— an intimate glimpse into its harsh conditions and existential simplicity! Curator: Possibly. But that bull could also represent something like national pride. Strong, dependable—cornerstones of a nation's wealth. The politics of imagery, right? Editor: Always, always. But even the political image must resonate with an actual emotive charge to stick with people. If I saw this above my writing desk I know I'd think: Okay, okay, get back to basics. Keep going...dig into the field, the page, whatever's in front of me. Curator: So in your interpretation, the work reflects a national sentiment while speaking of resilience and fortitude? Editor: Absolutely. It shows a very matter-of-fact kind of being in the world. Which, who knows, maybe this is its brilliance. And what is a bull besides solid commitment. A kind of daily miracle, frankly.