Grazende koe 1891 - 1941

Leo Gestel captured this grazing cow in a simple yet powerful sketch. The cow, a symbol of fertility and nourishment across cultures, takes centre stage. From ancient Egypt where cows were revered as goddesses to the myths of ancient Greece in which Io takes the form of a cow, this animal is deeply rooted in our collective consciousness. Recall Europa, whose abduction by Zeus in the guise of a bull birthed a new continent. Here, in Gestel's drawing, the cow evokes a sense of pastoral harmony, a nostalgic yearning for an agrarian past. It taps into our primal connection to the earth and its bounty. This bovine form echoes through art history, resurfacing time and again, each time carrying the weight of its accumulated symbolism, reminding us of the enduring power of archetypes in our shared cultural memory.