Twee herten bij een boom 1840 - 1880

Johannes Tavenraat made this drawing, Two Deer by a Tree, with pen and brown ink on paper. The process seems immediate, made almost entirely of confident lines. Tavenraat is thinking through the tip of his pen, using the quality of the ink to create tonal variations. He really coaxes a full range of expression out of the simplest of means. Note that the artist has chosen a humble material, paper, as his ground. As mass production developed in the nineteenth century, paper became cheap and plentiful. It was the perfect medium for studies and sketches. This allowed for the rise of artistic practices, and this drawing exemplifies the shift. The quickness and immediacy of the drawing offers insight into the artist's mind. Ultimately, it's the combination of material, making, and context that allows us to fully understand this drawing, and to challenge traditional distinctions between fine art and craft.