Koeien bij een hek c. 1876 - 1879

Curator: Anton Mauve’s "Cows by a Fence," a graphite and pencil drawing from around 1876 to 1879, now resides here at the Rijksmuseum. It's a deceptively simple composition. Editor: At first glance, there’s almost nothing *there*, just faint, hesitant lines. Yet, the feeling of a hot, lazy afternoon, of bulky animals seeking shade is instantly evoked. Curator: The choice of pencil and graphite speaks volumes. This wasn't about creating a polished, finished product; it's about the immediate record of observation, the material reality of the artist's labor in translating his sensory experiences to paper. Editor: Observe how the simplified forms become imbued with a specific character. Cows often stand as symbols of tranquility, representing a connection to nature and the pastoral life. Is Mauve intentionally playing with that established iconography, or simply documenting his environment? Curator: He was part of the Hague School, which heavily emphasized realism. They were devoted to representing the everyday lives of the working class, which, back then, largely meant depicting agrarian subjects like the cows represented in this drawing. Editor: Even in this humble sketch, you see how Mauve’s lines manage to capture the essence of ‘cowness’ without getting bogged down in details. Those few lines somehow evoke the animal’s weight, their placid demeanor. Curator: Mauve’s practice reflects a broader trend in late 19th-century art. The means of production became a valued subject itself. How artists transformed raw materials into evocative imagery took on newfound importance. Editor: Perhaps Mauve meant these cows as earthly symbols reflecting our innate bond to our planet and food sources, emphasizing the continuity of nature and everyday life in this era. Curator: The stark simplicity focuses the eye on the raw essence of the act of observing and sketching, foregrounding artistic process over pictorial illusion. It forces us to confront our consumption. Editor: What a great peek into Mauve's mind; it brings our everyday, bucolic images to reality through just a few well-chosen symbols. Curator: Indeed, it showcases not the final image so much as the means of production behind such an image and emphasizes the labor inherent in that transformation.