Staande en liggende koeien in een weide c. 1881 - 1888

Anton Mauve created this drawing, "Staan de en liggende koeien in een weide" using black chalk. The composition is immediately striking for its seeming simplicity and its stark monochromatic palette. The shapes of the cows are rendered with soft, blurred lines, giving them an almost ghostly presence in the landscape. Mauve's choice of medium and technique here invites us to think about the relationships between form and representation. The cows are not depicted with precise detail but with an emphasis on their mass and volume. This abstraction of form points to a broader artistic concern with capturing the essence of the subject rather than a literal likeness. In this work, the artist encourages us to see beyond the surface and to consider the underlying structures of perception and representation.