Staande koe, van achteren 1775 - 1833

Curator: This drawing, held here at the Rijksmuseum, is titled 'Standing Cow, from Behind' and is attributed to Jean Bernard, likely created sometime between 1775 and 1833. Editor: My initial impression is…vulnerable. There's something so unassuming and simple about this cow, captured from behind. Curator: Absolutely. The image of the cow, particularly in this posture, holds diverse symbolic weights depending on culture and time. Often it reflects agrarian prosperity and pastoral ideals, harkening back to older traditions of agriculture. In some instances, it can symbolize gentle power and sustenance. Editor: Sustenance, definitely! But looking closer at Bernard's light pencil work, I feel the everyday weight of labor too. The droop of its back, the somewhat rough strokes… it feels more real than romantic. Curator: It does lack idealization, doesn’t it? The realism in its form points to shifts in the visual lexicon—a growing interest in objective representation replacing pure allegory. Editor: Which is funny, because even though the cow is the subject, there is no real environmental information here to take it away from being an object. It is the focal point, so we assume the background should be equally fascinating or hold importance. Curator: The almost sketched impression further humanizes the beast. Its form rendered by delicate shading, emphasizing an interest in form over narrative... but, as an object on the canvas the cow can also symbolize abundance or even placidity. Think of how Dutch Golden Age painters included cattle in their landscapes. Editor: Sure, but I find this humbler than those majestic landscapes. This cow is just…standing there, existing. It resists grand narratives, I think. It's like glimpsing a moment of bovine introspection. Curator: Precisely, and this reminds us that even the most seemingly mundane image contains a world of cultural and personal significance, ready to be unpacked. Editor: I'm left pondering the dignity in the ordinary. What else can you say?