Studienblatt_ Ein zweirädriger Karren, darüber die flüchtige Skizze eines Rindes 

Johann Nepomuk Rauch created this study of a two-wheeled cart with a sketch of cattle above it. Rauch lived in an era of agricultural transformation, where rural life was romanticized even as industrialization loomed. This drawing brings to mind the lives of peasants and their reliance on animals and rudimentary technology. Consider the labor involved in managing these beasts and maintaining their carts, how these individuals were connected to both the land and the market. The cattle and cart are rendered as simple forms, rough and unidealized, which makes them feel authentic and connected to the earth. The fleeting sketch-like quality also evokes the temporality of rural life. As you look at the page, consider those whose backbreaking work made modern society possible, their contributions so easily forgotten.