Koe bij boomstronk 1766 - 1837

This etching titled 'Cow by a Tree Trunk' was created by Jan van Noort around the late 18th or early 19th century. The composition is striking, dominated by the figure of the cow set against a sparse landscape. Observe how Van Noort uses line and form to define the animal’s bulk, with short, energetic strokes that give texture to the cow’s hide. There is a clear contrast between the solid, substantial presence of the cow and the delicate lines suggesting the sky and distant water. This contrast could be interpreted through semiotics; the cow as a signifier of the earth, weight, and the immediate, versus the sky as a symbol of ethereality. This piece challenges fixed meanings. The cow, often a symbol of rural idyll, is presented in a way that emphasizes its physical being. The image is open to multiple interpretations, reflecting how art can destabilize established categories and values.