Stier aan rivieroever 1761 - 1784

Curator: I’m struck immediately by the tension between the raw physicality of the bull and the delicate lines of the etching. It’s a rather stoic, perhaps even confrontational composition. Editor: Yes, “Stier aan rivieroever,” or “Bull on Riverbank,” attributed to Johannes Janson and likely created between 1761 and 1784, invites a more critical consideration. Its realism is immediately evident. Think of it: domesticated animals, livestock essentially, have been historically aestheticized, valorized. Consider the political and social agency represented by the bull here and elsewhere in visual culture. Curator: You are right that the representation speaks to power and dominance. The bull almost pierces the foreground, as it seems too large relative to its setting. The level of detail used to render the bull contrasts against the surrounding, almost impressionistic, landscape, and enhances its central placement. Note the texture Janson was able to create via etching. Editor: What’s missing, though? Who owns this bull? What lands is it grazing? Consider land ownership, its intersections with class, gender, even species. To separate it from all that seems anachronistic. What statements are being made about rural agrarian life versus city life at the time, for instance? Or wealth and status via cattle? Curator: From a formal standpoint, the composition creates a sense of depth, with the bull anchored on the small cliff side on the river bank. Look at the single tree bending into its body, accentuating both forms; even its tail seems to suggest depth with the light that seems to flow in from the center of the image. Editor: The almost bleak, minimalist naturalism in the context—grass, water, livestock, some figures further back on a boat and dwelling across the shore—invites deeper engagement with both humans and animals in rural contexts, specifically who has control over land and production. Curator: A fascinating tension to recognize within this quietly detailed print, especially one of that era. Editor: Absolutely, a great piece to explore through both artistic technique and critical dialogue, underscoring its sustained historical and social resonance.