Landschap met twee koeien in de schaduw 1781 - 1822

Curator: Before us, we have Hermanus Fock's "Landscape with Two Cows in the Shade," dating from somewhere between 1781 and 1822. Editor: It's surprisingly inviting for an etching and engraving, isn’t it? The detail is so dense it almost feels… oppressive. I can almost smell the earthy tones. Curator: The romantic realism in this piece manifests, I think, through Fock's sophisticated handling of line. Note how he builds up volume and texture in the trees, especially. Editor: It is dense, but beautifully crafted, and that dense use of lines creates a really dark foreground which really drives the viewer towards those almost imperceptible human subjects with the livestock far back on the left-hand side. I am curious about what sort of papers and plates were available to Fock during this era, I feel the materiality informs a sense of preciousness despite the pastoral subject matter. Curator: Precisely! This piece exemplifies a certain Dutch preoccupation with rendering pastoral scenes. Consider, too, how Fock deploys atmospheric perspective, guiding the eye. It’s formally quite accomplished, manipulating your field of vision and inviting contemplation. Editor: I agree about the contemplation - the scale here is not impressive, but invites one into a smaller and intimate scale - and at this point in time it would have represented something deeply precious to those being enclosed and industrialized in the city: a memory of a connection to a very accessible rural lifestyle. These romanticized impressions in print drove consumption habits I suspect, inviting the privileged to buy into "experiences". Curator: Indeed, you bring an insightful point of perspective and class that, truthfully, shifts my viewing here to something else entirely! Editor: Always glad to throw a spanner in the formalist works, even within the most simple rural image!