Lying cattle to the right 

Editor: This is "Lying cattle to the right," a red-chalk drawing of decidedly eighteenth-century vibe, attributed to Friedrich Wilhelm Hirt and residing at the Städel Museum. It's deceptively simple. I mean, it's just a cow, rendered in a rustic hue. What do you see in it? Curator: A lazy afternoon perhaps, the quiet hum of the countryside, or perhaps, the seed of Romanticism itself, all sketched in chalk dust and bovine bliss. It reminds me of a poem by Blake - innocence tinged with something just beyond grasp. Don't you find something unsettling amidst the pastoral scene, a silent grandeur? Editor: Unsettling? It just looks like a cow having a nap. Maybe I need more coffee! Curator: Perhaps! Look at how Hirt captures the weight of the animal, but also its softness. It’s a cow, yes, but it's also form and shadow. He's wrestling with representing life itself, in all its bovine glory. Do you think the seemingly plain subject matter masks deeper intentions? Editor: Hmmm, that’s interesting, I hadn’t considered that the medium and subject add to the symbolism. Curator: Precisely. Chalk softens the form, almost rendering it ephemeral. Perhaps Hirt isn’t just showing us a cow, but suggesting the fleeting nature of pastoral life itself. A lovely little thought in red chalk. Editor: So, it’s not *just* a cow. Now I’m starting to see it! Thanks! Curator: My pleasure! Art, like cows, can be more complex than they first appear.