Koppen 1840 - 1880

Editor: This is "Koppen," a pen drawing by Johannes Tavenraat, dating sometime between 1840 and 1880. It's housed here at the Rijksmuseum. The immediate impression I get is one of whimsy, like a page ripped straight from a very imaginative sketchbook. What do you see in this piece? Curator: Oh, absolutely! For me, Tavenraat’s sketches are like little stolen glances into another world. See how quickly the lines are drawn? Almost frenetic, capturing not just a likeness but a mood. Look at the figure in the pointed hat—is it me, or do you sense a bit of defiance, a touch of mischievousness in that upward tilt of the chin? What story do you think Tavenraat was trying to tell, or perhaps even discover? Editor: That's interesting, because I saw the hat as almost comical, not defiant. It changes my whole perception. Curator: Precisely! And doesn't the almost grotesque caricature on the right seem like it could step right out of a Dickens novel? Maybe a bit like a fever dream of 19th-century Dutch society viewed through Tavenraat’s pen. It makes me wonder what preoccupied his thoughts. Do you agree that Tavenraat successfully captured character within these spontaneous gestures? Editor: Definitely. Before this, I’d only ever really thought about formal portraiture, very staged. It's amazing that you can read a whole life into a few scribbled lines! Curator: It really makes you rethink the whole nature of seeing. These sketches feel incredibly personal, as if Tavenraat is inviting us to see the world, and his inner world, a little differently. And perhaps to smile a bit while we’re at it. What would you say is your main takeaway now? Editor: I think I am going to seek out sketchbooks more! Thanks for illuminating how much character, and storytelling, can live in even the simplest sketch.