Berglandschap met een brug over een vallei waarin stapels boomstammen liggen 1858

This drawing, by Johannes Tavenraat, was made with pen in grey-brown ink over graphite, and allows us to consider how the process of material extraction can become the subject of art. The use of ink creates a monochromatic and tonal representation of the landscape. The rapid strokes suggest the scene was captured in situ, documenting the labor-intensive industry of logging. We see stacks of timber, the result of considerable human effort, while the surrounding mountains convey the scale of this operation. Tavenraat’s technique renders the textures of the felled wood, and the rough-hewn timbers used to build the bridge. The lines evoke the weight and density of the logs. While seemingly a straightforward landscape study, the drawing encapsulates themes of labor, industry, and human interaction with the natural world. It challenges us to think about the amount of work involved in transforming raw materials into commodities, and how this intersects with artistic representation.