Grazing Cow with Two Sheep
1670
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
1670
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Grazing Cow with Two Sheep is a 1670 ink by Adriaen van de Velde, a Baroque work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This image shows a quiet scene of three animals in a grassy field. On the left is a cow with its head down, eating. To the right are two sheep, one standing and one lying down, both facing the cow. The background has some bushes and a fence line, but the focus is on the animals and the simple landscape. The artist used sharp lines to create texture, especially in the fur and grass. This style was common in etchings, where ink is pressed into a metal plate to make prints. Next, look up etching to see how this technique works.
