Cows and Rainbow 

Maggie Laubser painted "Cows and Rainbow" with oil on canvas, using bold, expressive brushwork to capture a pastoral scene under a vibrant rainbow. The painting's composition is organized into strong horizontal bands of colour, creating a sense of depth and space. Laubser's unique approach destabilizes conventional notions of landscape painting. The cows, rendered with simplified forms and earthy tones, are placed in a field that rolls in layered hues of green, pink, and yellow. Overhead, the rainbow's arch acts as a framing device, emphasizing the artificiality of the scene and drawing attention to the painting's surface. This flattening of perspective aligns with modernist tendencies to question traditional representation. The semiotic structure of the artwork invites interpretation. The rainbow, a symbol of hope and promise, contrasts with the everyday presence of the cows. This juxtaposition suggests a dialogue between the ideal and the real, reflecting Laubser's engagement with poststructuralist ideas about the instability of meaning. The flattened space, and the simplified forms draw attention to the canvas, and the materiality of paint as a surface.