Cow Relieving Itself 1635 - 1683

Curator: Before us, we have Nicolaes Berchem's "Cow Relieving Itself," dating somewhere between 1635 and 1683. It's an etching, printed on paper, currently held at The Art Institute of Chicago. Editor: My goodness, that cow is really going for it! Such directness, a brutal honesty of nature. Curator: The medium is intriguing. The etching process suggests mass production, the democritization of art...yet, Berchem was no ordinary printmaker; he came from a family of artists and art dealers, which undoubtedly shaped his perspective. Editor: I suppose, seeing that it depicts a rather crude act, it speaks to the cycle of life; quite funny when you see what is just another day at the office to these farm creatures, rendered with such care using etching and then disseminated. Curator: Etchings allowed artists to circulate imagery widely, connecting them to emerging markets and bourgeois consumers. Berchem likely made multiple impressions, catering to an increasing appetite for genre scenes of peasant life. Look closer to the figure resting, is this leisure for this subject as he works as a cow herder? Editor: You're right, there is someone sleeping peacefully beside those resting animals. It's wonderfully serene. Perhaps, in a subtle jab at idealized pastoral scenes that were trending in art. The Baroque sensibilities shine. Curator: Exactly, the genre painting blends with these pastoral elements quite successfully and one could say that in it, there is tension, an acknowledgement of daily tasks being far removed from ideal. Berchem's skill shines through—note the varied line weights that create depth, the textures… he expertly crafts form from humble material: ink on paper. It challenges hierarchical boundaries that dictate 'high art' subjects versus 'low art' activities. Editor: The lines buzz with vitality, all those goats in the left-side horizon... they are so dynamic! And yes, absolutely to the materiality…that tactile quality almost gives a physical feeling to that smell emanating from the focalized cow rear. Ha! This challenges all notions of a precious aesthetic experience, doesn't it? Curator: Perhaps this artwork challenges these conventional codes through the juxtaposition of mundane subject matter with expert rendering of these landscape themes through mass media means of consumption. Editor: Thinking about it, I am certain the message I take away is that our lives should have room for both refinement and... well, cow wee-wee.