Stier 1824

Editor: This is "Stier," an etching and engraving made around 1824 by Johannes Mock, currently at the Rijksmuseum. There’s something incredibly direct about it – a bull just standing there, presented without any romanticizing. What strikes you when you look at this? Curator: Oh, hello there! You know, it makes me think about what we consider 'worthy' of art. Back then, artists were often obsessed with the grand narratives, the epic battles, or idealized landscapes. But Mock…Mock saw the quiet dignity in an everyday animal. The realism he chose strips bare any artifice. Have you ever stood that close to an animal, felt that groundedness? What sort of animal do you see? Editor: I’d say it seems a working animal, maybe a farm animal from its solid build. Is that maybe why it’s so unromanticized? Like just portraying it as it is, as useful? Curator: Perhaps! Or maybe Mock just appreciated raw beauty. What looks like realism to us now, could have felt quite radical back then. Notice the lines, though! The dedication, the sheer patience needed to etch those tiny details. Does that strike you in any specific way? Editor: It does give it an incredible sense of texture and makes me realize just how carefully studied the bull is. Before it just seemed a simple subject. Curator: See, there it is! What appeared plain initially becomes deeply nuanced, a mirror reflecting back our own perceptions of beauty and value. We can ask ourselves: are there subjects or stories we consider unworthy of our attention today? It’s an enduring and humbling question. Editor: Absolutely! I’m starting to think of all the things we pass over because they aren’t “conventionally beautiful.” I'll keep that in mind! Thanks so much for sharing your perspectives.