Composition (The Cow) 1917

Theo van Doesburg made this small drawing called "Composition (The Cow)" with graphite on paper. It's a flurry of marks, angles, and lines, all dancing together to evoke a cow. I can only imagine him, maybe in his studio, or even outside, quickly capturing what he sees, but not in a straightforward way. He's breaking it down, trying to find the underlying structure, the essence of "cowness," not just what it looks like. You can almost feel his hand moving, searching, questioning. The marks feel immediate, intuitive. It's like he’s in conversation with other artists, like Mondrian, pushing abstraction further. Each line and angle isn't just describing something; it's also existing as itself, as a pure form. This drawing invites you into a space of uncertainty, where seeing becomes an active process of interpretation and imagination. It reminds me that art doesn't have to offer easy answers. It's more interesting when it asks questions!