Liggende koe, naar rechts 1786 - 1839

Curator: Here we have "Liggende koe, naar rechts," or "Lying Cow, Facing Right," a pencil drawing by Pieter Gerardus van Os, dating roughly from 1786 to 1839, and held here at the Rijksmuseum. Editor: What a supremely chill cow! I'm immediately struck by how restful she appears, nestled down there on the grass. There’s a sense of serenity that radiates off the page. Curator: Indeed. Van Os, known for his animal studies, captures not just the likeness but also the texture, wouldn't you say? The density of the pencil work around the cow’s form contrasts with the almost scribbled, less defined landscape. Editor: Absolutely. The varying pressure and hatching give the cow this lovely solidity; you can almost feel the weight of her. It feels really immediate and tangible. Curator: And let's not overlook the materials: pencil on paper. Such common tools, but van Os elevates them. The paper itself speaks of its own manufacturing, the faint tooth catching the graphite. And consider how pastoral life was evolving. More efficient breeding, greater consumption, even changing views about open grazing and public lands all start to shift in that time. Editor: Oh, that’s fascinating. The simplicity of the materials juxtaposed against that complex social tapestry! You’re so right. It does prompt you to think about the labor, the agriculture supporting art. Curator: Precisely! Each element ties to wider social dynamics. Even van Os’ choice to focus on this seemingly quotidian subject... He highlights a part of the material infrastructure underpinning so much. Editor: Thinking about process too, the artist’s gaze... spending that time just observing one single bovine, it makes me consider patience as a technique in itself. And then the final gesture of letting that cow rest on paper... a moment made permanent. Curator: In many ways it is that relationship, that dynamic exchange, that defines how art functions in our culture and our visual language. Thanks for shining a new light for me, as well. Editor: Thanks to you as well; thinking about a cow, some paper, and all of us sharing this space with this cow – makes the mind wander in unexpected ways, and what more can one wish from seeing art!