Studieblad met twee koeienkoppen 1817

Curator: Standing before us is a piece from 1817 called "Studieblad met twee koeienkoppen" or "Study Sheet with Two Cow Heads" by Cornelis Steffelaar. He rendered it with watercolor and pencil. Editor: What strikes me immediately is their calmness. There's something deeply peaceful in their expressions, and yet, almost melancholic, especially the darker one on the right. It’s such a tender portrait despite the humble subject matter. Curator: Absolutely. And it's important to note that while seemingly simple, these kinds of "study sheets" were critical to the artistic process. In the 19th century, academic training emphasized close observation and precise rendering of the natural world, and studies of animal anatomy were fairly common. It was less about portraying the cows as individuals and more about understanding their form, their musculature, their essential bovine-ness. Editor: But doesn't that very act of observing so intently, of isolating these faces, imbue them with character, individuality? I mean, look at the way the light catches the brown cow’s horns. There’s affection there, even if unintended. These cows exist for their own beauty not merely to serve a painting of a landscape. Curator: Well, these studies provided material for the final works, for example, romantic landscapes. We see similar cow visages nestled among sweeping meadows, contributing to this grand vision of nature's harmony. Editor: Hmm, so cows, serving art! Well, maybe. Yet here, presented alone, they remind me how little we usually observe them, beings in their own right, with these quiet lives. Curator: It really makes you wonder about the life of these animals, right? This artist wanted to freeze in time. It reflects what we see as valuable enough to preserve for longer than our own lifetime. Editor: Yes! Looking at them this way it suddenly changes their context completely. Okay, now I can definitely look at cows with newfound admiration and ponder about it some more, and all thanks to this wonderfully peculiar "Study Sheet". Curator: It has a very meditative quality. Something simple that triggers thought in unexpected ways.