Hert Possibly 1869

Editor: This is "Hert," a pen and ink drawing possibly from 1869, by Johannes Tavenraat, housed here at the Rijksmuseum. The dynamism of the leaping deer is what struck me first. How would you interpret this work in the context of its time? Curator: It’s crucial to understand the context in which Tavenraat was working. In the mid-19th century, artists grappled with evolving notions of nature and representation. Were artists striving to represent reality faithfully, or searching for deeper truths about human-animal relations, or even just the essence of natural forms? Editor: So, how might these cultural questions shape the artwork? Curator: Well, consider how quickly the artist sketched this deer; Tavenraat might be influenced by Realist painters, with interest in nature and the animal kind, focusing on capturing the subject's essence in a truthful, immediate way rather than a highly romanticized one. Did wildlife depiction have popular or political undercurrents at the time? Editor: Good point. Perhaps it was also tapping into growing awareness or even anxieties about changes in the Dutch landscape, with increased industrialization perhaps pushing these themes of nature into consciousness and debate? Curator: Precisely. It may reflect the rising awareness of how industrialization and urbanization were encroaching on natural habitats. So, in that sense, the swiftness of the deer is an urgency relating to land, animals, and nature. I find it fascinating how a simple pen sketch opens to questions about the public perception of nature. What is your takeaway? Editor: I never thought a sketch could be read in socio-political terms! This makes me more curious about other sketches of animals from that period.