Beschrijving van een waterval Possibly 1858 - 1859

This work is a drawing, most likely from the hand of Johannes Tavenraat. Immediately apparent is the contrast between the vacant space and the handwriting that fills the bottom right of the paper. The writing’s linear quality and the blankness of the page create a tension. We see an almost structuralist play here, setting language against void, description against the indescribable. In this tension, Tavenraat seems to hint that language fails to capture the essence of natural phenomena. The waterfall becomes not an observed subject but an elusive idea, hinting at the limits of representation itself. The handwriting then functions less as a description and more as an index. In the end, we are left to question the nature of perception and the translation of the natural world. It’s a fascinating contemplation on how we grapple with making sense of what is.