Standing cow to the left 

This is Friedrich Wilhelm Hirt’s drawing of a ‘Standing Cow to the Left’ housed in the Städel Museum. The work is rendered with brown chalk, which has a dry, granular materiality, giving a gentle, almost dream-like appearance. The cow is defined by contour lines that vary in thickness. Looking closely, you can see that the structural elements of the animal’s body are defined by these outlines. The artist doesn't offer much in the way of tonal shading. The interplay between the linear form and texture provides a sense of volume and materiality, despite the absence of color. Hirt's choice to use minimal detail, and the softness of the chalk, draw our attention to the essential form of the animal. This formal treatment can be seen as an exploration into the basic structure of organic form, inviting viewers to consider the cow not just as a subject, but as a study in shape and line. Ultimately, the artwork presents a study in visual economy, where the material qualities of the chalk and the strategic use of line work together, highlighting the foundational elements of representation itself.