Kop van een koe 1775 - 1833

Curator: This intriguing drawing, rendered in pencil, is entitled "Kop van een koe," or "Head of a Cow," and dates from somewhere between 1775 and 1833. It resides here at the Rijksmuseum. Editor: What immediately strikes me is the simplicity, almost austere. The monochrome palette emphasizes the cow's heavy-lidded gaze, creating a rather somber, reflective mood. Curator: Yes, the artist, Jean Bernard, utilizes a very economic, almost rudimentary, compositional structure. Notice the relatively simple cross-hatching to describe the volume and the stark white of the untouched paper. There is no background to speak of, focusing our attention solely on the animal's physiognomy. Editor: And what a wealth of cultural associations that seemingly straightforward image evokes! In many cultures, the cow symbolizes nourishment, maternal care, even sacrifice. That downward gaze invites contemplation, perhaps even a recognition of our dependence on these creatures. Curator: Interesting. But I also read this through a formal lens. Look how the curved lines of the horns echo the curve of the eye socket, creating a visual rhyme. Consider how that repetition of form adds to a cohesive, stable visual experience, drawing the viewers' eye across the subject’s entire head. Editor: Absolutely, and the angle of the head, slightly turned, prevents it from being merely representational. There’s a sense of observation, a recorded moment, like the cow has just noticed us. In religious art the head, the intellect, is crucial in signifying importance of humans, of spiritual figures… Curator: The piece definitely presents some ambiguities and invites different interpretations and even contradictory insights that are based both in formal terms and broader meaning systems. Editor: Exactly. By carefully examining the animal’s depiction in relation to our beliefs about the symbolic place it occupies in the culture, we gain more appreciation.