Slot Liebenstein 1840 - 1845

Johannes Tavenraat made this watercolor of Slot Liebenstein sometime in the mid-19th century. The hazy washes of color and the simple application of the medium are deceptive. Think of the labor implied in the production of this artwork: from the cotton fields that produced the paper to the formulation of the pigments and the careful preparation of the watercolor paints themselves. In its own way, it speaks to the growing industrialization of the era, where even an artist like Tavenraat, apparently absorbed in the contemplation of nature, was inevitably part of the system of production, labor, and consumption. Recognizing the degree to which materials, making, and context shape our understanding challenges traditional art history, expanding it into a more comprehensive understanding of art and its place in culture.