Liggende koe, van achteren 1775 - 1833

Editor: Here we have "Liggende koe, van achteren," or "Reclining Cow, from Behind," a pencil drawing made sometime between 1775 and 1833 by Jean Bernard. The focus is quite literally on the cow's behind! It’s an interesting choice of subject and the way it is just resting has a very relaxed and pastoral feel. How would you interpret this drawing? Curator: Well, consider the period. The late 18th and early 19th centuries saw a growing fascination in Europe with agrarian life, partly fuelled by Romanticism and also by emerging industrial society. But also bear in mind this work resides in the Rijksmuseum – was it always destined to hang in a gallery? Editor: I guess I hadn't thought about that aspect. It does seem more like a preliminary sketch. Curator: Precisely. Consider the social role of the artist. Perhaps Bernard was simply practicing, honing his skills at depicting animals, potentially for use in larger, commissioned landscape paintings? This puts an interesting light on our view, seeing the drawing as its own "finished" work now displayed in a very public museum, doesn’t it? Does that initial impression of pastoral charm hold as strongly? Editor: That's a good point. The fact that it's on display now definitely gives it a different meaning than if it were just a preparatory sketch in his studio. The public’s engagement with art shapes our understanding of even seemingly simple sketches. I see how context changes everything. Curator: Exactly! We actively rewrite these visual stories.