Skitser af figurer og køer 1905 - 1907

These sketches of figures and cows were made by Niels Larsen Stevns in pencil. The artist’s quick hand captures cows in various stances, standing still, reclining and turning their heads. The cow, a symbol of nourishment, often appears throughout history as representative of the ‘milk of human kindness’. Consider the ancient Egyptian sky-goddess Hathor, often depicted as a cow, embodying maternal care and cosmic nourishment. This symbol is deeply embedded in our collective consciousness. The gesture of the figures, although roughly sketched, evokes an emotional response, a kind of empathy that transcends time. These sketches remind us that these symbols are not static; they evolve and adapt, influenced by cultural shifts. These quickly rendered figures and cows become a vessel for our own projections and interpretations. The cyclical return and reinterpretation of symbols speak to the complex interplay between cultural memory and individual perception.