Staande en liggende koe 1741 - 1795

Editor: This drawing by Cornelis van Noorde, titled “Staande en liggende koe” depicts two cows. It's created with pencil and charcoal, sometime between 1741 and 1795, now residing at the Rijksmuseum. The texture seems very granular. What aspects strike you the most? Curator: I'm drawn to the visible labour embedded in the drawing’s creation. Notice how the charcoal and pencil marks aren't attempting to disguise their material presence. The rough application isn’t trying to mimic smooth skin, is it? It's celebrating the properties of the materials themselves and, in a sense, the physical act of their application to paper. How does this process speak to you? Editor: Well, it definitely feels less formal than some other drawings of the period I've seen. The raw quality almost suggests it's a study, perhaps focusing on capturing form rather than creating a finished masterpiece. Curator: Precisely. This hints at the role of drawing in 18th-century workshops: a means to investigate form and volume quickly, economically. The value lies not just in the final image, but in the labor that enables an understanding of these cows, their value as agricultural assets rendered here. And, consider that those pencils and charcoal, their procurement and manufacture… Even that carries a story of its own time. Does knowing that affect your understanding of this drawing at all? Editor: It does. Thinking about it in terms of production shifts the focus from aesthetics to the broader economic and social factors influencing the creation. Curator: Indeed. This image provides access to a moment where labour, material, and representation intertwine to reflect the social realities surrounding art production. Editor: It's fascinating to consider art not just as a representation, but as a product of its time. Curator: Exactly. Viewing art through a materialist lens opens new avenues for interpreting its significance.