Zwei Rinder, eines stehend, eines liegend, beide rückansichtig, das liegende in starker Verkürzung 

Friedrich Wilhelm Hirt made this sketch of two cows with brown ink on paper. Although we don't know when Hirt made this drawing, its style suggests that it was produced in the late 18th or early 19th century, a time when many European artists turned to the countryside in search of simple beauty and closeness to nature. Cows were important to the German economy and to the rural way of life that many city dwellers idealized. But here, Hirt turns his back on this picturesque tradition. Both cows face away from the viewer, denying us an easy connection with these creatures. The drawing has the feel of a quick study, done to improve the artist's skill rather than to create a finished work of art. This was a time when the institutions of art were becoming more developed and the academy was replacing the workshop as the place where artists were trained. Art historians often consult artists' letters or the records of academies to understand the context in which a work like this was made.