Standing and Lying Cow
1650
Paulus Potter, the Dutch master famous for making cows the absolute stars of the art world, captures a wonderfully candid moment in this 1650 etching. One cow stands front and center, staring right at you with a look that says 'What are you looking at?', while her companion chills in the background, completely unbothered. Potter uses incredibly fine lines to render the texture of their fur and the heavy, solid feel of their bodies, proving that Dutch Baroque artists could find profound beauty in everyday rural life. He essentially elevated simple farm animals to the level of high art, long before it was cool to paint livestock.
- Technique
- etching
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