Staande koe, naar rechts 1835

Curator: I’m immediately struck by how serene this scene feels, almost bucolic. The soft greys, the posture of the animal – there's a certain calm about it. Editor: This pencil drawing is titled "Staande koe, naar rechts", or "Standing Cow, Facing Right", created by Petrus Marius Brouwer in 1835. Brouwer was working during a period of increasing industrialization, and this reflects the public interest in an idealized vision of pastoral life. Curator: Ah, you can see the visual trope so common throughout history of associating livestock with abundance. Is the animal also symbolic? Its size dominates the pictorial field, perhaps as a not-so-subtle reference to the population it sustains? Editor: Milk as lifeblood! And let’s not forget that the image dates to 1835—the Napoleonic wars are in the past, revolution in France is further in the past: it is a society returning to an imagined agrarian ideal after years of upheaval and urbanization. Curator: There's also that little bird perched on the fence behind the cow, it's like a symbolic counterpoint to the much larger bovine figure; an element added for depth and complexity beyond a pure portrait. Editor: That reminds me of the visual shorthand for representing wealth that came before, with landowners immortalizing themselves on horseback accompanied by loyal hounds— but those creatures are powerful, predatory. The placid cow seems far more innocuous and welcoming. The landscape style is quite different, emphasizing rolling plains rather than war or the hunt. Curator: Precisely. And notice how the realism in rendering the cow’s form is not mirrored in the more lightly sketched background. The soft pencil lines almost make the animal ethereal. One might even interpret a connection between nature and nurture. Editor: The political charge of associating a society and its health to cattle could suggest any number of things depending on who's looking. From public health policy and agrarian reform to economic structures, this simple sketch invites reflection on some truly fascinating things. Thank you, this sketch gave me food for thought.