Study of two cows

The Study of Two Cows (1904), at the Kunstmuseum Den Haag, belongs to the series of animal studies Mondrian produced during his Brabant period, working from direct observation of the cattle he encountered in the southern Dutch countryside. Studies of pairs of animals had a long history in Dutch painting, from the multiple-animal compositions of Cuyp and Potter to the more intimate animal sketches of the nineteenth century. Mondrian's cattle studies are among the least-known works in his early production, overshadowed by the abstract paintings that made his international reputation, but they demonstrate genuine observational skill.

The study format implies a more provisional, exploratory approach than a finished picture: Mondrian works out the proportions, postures, and tonal relationships of two cows in proximity, the composition organized around the contrast and interaction of their two animal forms.