Twee koppen 1840 - 1880

Editor: We are looking at "Twee Koppen" by Johannes Tavenraat, created sometime between 1840 and 1880. It's an ink drawing on paper. I'm immediately struck by how unfinished and raw it feels, a peek behind the curtain of academic art. What's your take on it? Curator: Exactly! What intrigues me is the production of academic art. Look at the rapid, almost frantic mark-making. It suggests a process of observation, yes, but also a practice of speed and efficiency, dictated by the demands of the academy and perhaps a burgeoning market. It is no 'high art' yet, no exhibition value to this sheet - it's where artistic labour and training meet. Notice the material limitations of ink and paper. These weren't cheap, so Tavenraat uses them frugally. Editor: So, you see the sketch itself as evidence of its making and the constraints the artist faced? How does this challenge ideas about Romanticism, since it's tagged as Romantic too? Curator: Good question. Romanticism is often framed in terms of individual genius and subjective expression. But, through a materialist lens, we can also ask how even Romantic ideals were shaped by available resources and specific training. Look again. Are these generalized, 'romantic' heads, or rapidly-produced portrait studies, a kind of 'copy work' which was common in workshops and academies at the time? Where is the division between artistic license and technical labour? Editor: I see what you mean. It prompts a closer consideration of what artistic labor *meant* at that time. So, by looking at the materials and production, we’re really questioning what was valued in art training itself. Curator: Precisely. Instead of focusing on the finished artwork as the endpoint, we turn our attention to its very foundations: material, practice, and social-economic conditions.