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Holy Cow (Pio bove)

Giovanni Fattori

1889

ink

paper

From the collection of National Gallery of Art

Impressionism Realism Late 19th Century Landscape

Dominant colour

Holy Cow (Pio bove) is a 1889 ink by Giovanni Fattori, a Impressionism work, held at National Gallery of Art.

Who painted this?: Giovanni Fattori
When & what style?: 1889 · Impressionism
Where can I see it?: National Gallery of Art

About this work

This sketch shows a lone cow standing in a field of tangled, scratchy lines. Behind it, a jagged mountain rises, its edges rough and uneven. The sky is full of loose, wavy marks, like wind blowing through trees. The artist used tiny, repeated strokes to build up the texture—grass, clouds, even the cow’s fur. It’s all hand-drawn, no smooth shapes here. Next, look up etching to see how artists like this carve into metal to make prints.