Trompet met een vlag, liggende honden en een hangende haas 1841 - 1853

Editor: So this is “Trompet met een vlag, liggende honden en een hangende haas,” created between 1841 and 1853 by Johannes Tavenraat. It’s in the Rijksmuseum now. I am struck by how the quick, light pencil work creates this wonderfully whimsical scene. What’s your take on this unusual drawing? Curator: For me, it's fascinating to consider this piece as a document of Tavenraat's process. The toned paper itself suggests a careful consideration of materiality, almost like a prepared canvas, but the loose application betrays that intention, creating instead a raw, tangible relationship with labor through artistic creation. Editor: That makes sense. The seeming casualness almost obscures that intentional preparation. How do you see this challenging typical definitions of ‘high art’ then? Curator: Think about it – he’s using a deliberate material for what appears to be a fleeting thought. The traditional distinction would place the 'sketch' in a lower art status, preliminary. Yet, here, it's presented as its own thing. This piece interrogates the traditional hierarchy, doesn't it? By focusing on this practice, on what is not a precious or traditionally beautiful sketch, what statement about artistic skill and process is Tavenraat making? Editor: I guess it brings the artist’s individual actions into focus rather than only a polished final outcome. Almost, I think, it equalizes “labor” and “inspiration”? Thank you, I'll be looking at sketches very differently from now on! Curator: And I’ll be pondering the market for preliminary works. Food for thought indeed.