Koe bij een knotwilg 1790

Gerard van Nijmegen created this etching, "Cow by a pollard willow", which now resides in the Rijksmuseum, using a network of fine lines to evoke a dramatic scene. The composition centers on a pollard willow, its form contorted as it shelters a cow from a storm. Note how the sky is filled with dense, vertically oriented lines suggesting heavy rain, contrasted by a jagged horizontal line that represents lightning. This stark juxtaposition creates tension. The use of line is particularly interesting here: short, broken strokes in the foreground give way to longer, more flowing lines to depict the rain and wind. Van Nijmegen destabilizes the traditional pastoral scene, infusing it with a raw, almost gothic, energy. He utilizes the formal elements of line and composition to convey a sense of nature's overwhelming power. This piece shows how an apparently simple subject is not merely a representational exercise, but engages with deeper themes of nature. It is a display of formal complexity within a seemingly traditional setting.