Koeien 1916

Editor: So, this is "Koeien," or "Cows," a linocut by Samuel Jessurun de Mesquita from 1916, hanging here at the Rijksmuseum. It's striking, isn't it? The stark black and white creates a kind of moody stillness. What do you make of it? Curator: Stillness is a good word for it. For me, it’s like stepping into a memory, a snapshot of a simpler time. Those cows, huddled together in that field of meticulously rendered grass... it almost feels like looking at a stage set, doesn’t it? I wonder, what is the artist telling us about rural life versus the rapidly industrializing world outside? Editor: That "stage set" idea makes sense! The way the clouds are just these flat shapes… so, would you say it's romanticizing the countryside then? Curator: Perhaps. Or maybe pointing out its artificiality. The expressionist movement often used simplified forms to heighten emotional impact. This print walks a fine line; the seeming simplicity of the scene belies the sharp contrasts, the almost aggressive graphic quality of the linocut technique itself. Do you think there's an anxiety there, underlying the bucolic image? Editor: I hadn’t considered that. The aggressiveness you mentioned... it definitely adds another layer. I was so focused on the apparent calm. Now, it feels like there’s something lurking just beneath the surface, in those shadows. Curator: Exactly! Art’s like that, isn't it? It shows you one thing, and then whispers another. A good reminder that first impressions are rarely the whole story. Editor: Definitely. Thanks, I'll be thinking about this one for a while.