Koe, een koeienkop en een paard met wagen 1828

This is a drawing by Gijsbertus Craeyvanger, made with pen in grey, and currently held in the Rijksmuseum. Immediately, we notice the compositional structure; Craeyvanger has divided the page into two distinct halves, with the cow and its head occupying the upper portion, balanced by the horse and cart below. The artist focuses on form and outline, meticulously rendering the textures of the animals and the cart's structure. Yet, the absence of a unifying backdrop or horizon line is striking. This lack of context serves to flatten the pictorial space. By decontextualizing these figures, Craeyvanger prompts a reconsideration of what it means to depict reality. This work invites us to reflect on how we perceive the relationship between the object and its representation. The drawing serves as an exercise in visual semiotics, deconstructing the conventional modes of representation.