Schepen aan een kade (Rotterdam?) 1860 - 1865

Curator: Before us hangs "Schepen aan een kade (Rotterdam?)" a drawing made between 1860 and 1865 by Johannes Tavenraat. The media used were ink, pencil and paper, all of which combine to create this subdued monochromatic vista. Editor: Ah, what a foggy sort of day it seems. It almost makes me want to curl up with a cup of something hot and just watch the world drift by…there's such stillness to the boats here. Curator: What I find interesting is Tavenraat's method of deploying various drawing techniques on a single surface. You see the broad application of watercolor washes contrasted against the crisp lines delineating the rigging, the ships, and the quayside architecture. It shows command. Editor: Right! Like he's sketching a memory almost. The light almost…absorbs detail. All I can think of is how working class folk, you know, lived and toiled, relying on these ships. And there they are, sort of fading as the day does...a bit somber, if you ask me. Curator: I’d like to note the presumed location adds further interest, as Rotterdam at that time was a major port. It was a hive of trade. These aren't pleasure boats, exactly; they would've moved essential commodities. Consider too, the availability and accessibility of these materials--paper, ink, pencils--offering relatively affordable means for visualizing industrial activity. Editor: Definitely gets you wondering about the everyday stories playing out right then on those decks. Maybe there's someone about to leave for a far shore, or someone's coming home… you could dream them all into being… It's a quiet scene, really. Curator: The drawing highlights how images of urban and maritime industry were entering the public sphere via relatively inexpensive artworks—circulating visions of labor, trade, and the industrializing world. Editor: It reminds me of times when just gazing at something simple offered all you needed...sort of lovely now, isn't it? Curator: It offers a rich vision that blends place, tools, and labour so deftly. Editor: Absolutely! This drawing makes me slow down to really notice the ships but also just reflect a bit too.