Landscape with Cows c. 18th century

Editor: Ferdinand Kobell's "Landscape with Cows," a pen and black ink wash drawing, feels like a memory of an idealized countryside. What visual symbols stand out to you in this piece? Curator: The trees, certainly. Notice how they're rendered, almost like clouds rooted to the earth. They evoke a sense of permanence, of enduring life and shelter. The cows too, symbols of pastoral harmony, but also of sustenance. What do you make of the figures sparsely placed around the image? Editor: I hadn't considered their placement as symbolic, but I can see that they really add to the theme of quiet life. Thank you. Curator: Think about it: each element contributes to a visual language, whispering stories of simpler times and a connection to nature, inviting us to remember, or perhaps imagine, such a life.