Rieten wieg 1839 - 1872

Curator: This pencil drawing is called "Rieten Wieg," or "Reed Cradle," by Johannes Tavenraat, and dates from between 1839 and 1872. It is currently held in the Rijksmuseum collection. Editor: My immediate impression is its raw, almost tentative nature. The lines are light, searching, lacking a decisive contour. There is a quiet solemnity emanating from this object. Curator: I think the use of line is paramount here. Notice how Tavenraat employs hatching and cross-hatching, particularly within the cradle’s hood and woven body, to suggest volume and depth, yet the overall effect remains rather two-dimensional. The artist’s mark-making gives it structure. Editor: I find the apparent sketchiness much more telling. The visible process indicates that these materials are intertwined with social dynamics. One might imagine a community engaged in the laborious task of crafting this cradle, imbuing it with their shared histories and values. Reed, of course, isn't simply a material, it is also a resource. Curator: And yet, without that expert deployment of line, wouldn't the work be significantly less expressive? Consider the lines that imply the delicate weave of the reed, transforming mere material into a cultural signifier—a place for the symbolic construction of new life. Editor: While the linear construction is present, I find that attention diverts me from thinking about what creating this object might involve. What were the processes for harvesting the reeds, for weaving them together to form a safe receptacle? These are forms of knowledge embedded within the artwork, just as valid as Tavenraat's pencil strokes. Curator: Perhaps we each grasp different significations—I appreciate your reading, which emphasizes its socio-economic framework, whereas my own appreciation lies in Tavenraat's formal decisions. Editor: Ultimately, I see the work as less about Tavenraat and more about what that little cradle represented for someone at that period in time. I found new things about this drawing today.