Schetsblad met studies van koeien 1848 - 1865

Curator: Welcome! We’re standing before "Schetsblad met studies van koeien", or "Sheet of sketches with studies of cows," created by Gerard Bilders sometime between 1848 and 1865. It's currently held here at the Rijksmuseum. What catches your eye initially? Editor: It's quite subdued. A sea of greys! The sketches feel very fleeting, like impressions almost lost to time. They have this sense of fragility that really appeals. Is it pencil, do you think? Curator: Yes, primarily pencil, though some areas seem to be worked over with ink. Notice how he captures the cows? They feel so substantial with a surprisingly tender touch, like they are muses he adored. Editor: Definitely. The lines are economical but communicate weight. Cows as symbols… it’s interesting, isn't it? For so long they have represented prosperity, bounty, even docile servitude. What was Bilders trying to say? Curator: Perhaps he was just fascinated by their forms. Many landscape artists included farm animals as standard fare within scenes of Dutch countryside. This sheet might represent pure artistic joy, reducing it all to line and form. Didactic intentions do not seem present. It's art for art's sake! Editor: Hmm. I like that suggestion, even as I push back against it! It could also be seen as an expression of humanity's longstanding and deep-seated relationship with the animal kingdom. These humble creatures sustaining communities, a vital connection easily overlooked by an urban audience. Curator: Maybe the answer is both. The universal connection with animals *and* a personal delight for the artist in capturing the creature's essence. The two aren't mutually exclusive, of course. This duality in the symbolism resonates and allows for layered exploration and thought. Editor: I love it. The beauty of sketches is they are both a finished piece of work *and* an origin point to endless avenues of art! This one little sketch manages to feel both utterly complete, and just bursting with further possibility all at once. Thank you, Bilders.