Vrouw met muts, in Lübeck Possibly 1869

Editor: Wow, look at this sketchy little gem. There’s something so immediate about it; like the artist dashed it off in a cafe while eavesdropping on someone's juicy conversation. Curator: Indeed. What strikes me most about Johannes Tavenraat’s "Vrouw met muts, in Lübeck," thought to be from around 1869 and held at the Rijksmuseum, is how it captures a certain mood despite its unfinished quality. Editor: The hats! They’re practically characters themselves, aren't they? Like spun sugar or maybe architectural models…they definitely have attitude! Curator: They signify social status, definitely. The city of Lubeck at this time had specific cultural norms related to dress. The rapid strokes, that energetic ink hatching, though, hints at a tension between social identity and individual expression. Consider what was acceptable for women’s representation at the time and how it speaks, perhaps, to repressed freedom. Editor: Ooh, repressed freedom! I love it! The faces almost disappear under the shadows, but their absence kinda gives them power, makes them less...available for consumption. It is fascinating that Tavenraat used only ink for this piece. Curator: It limits tonal range and thus makes the sketching and rapidness feel even more impressive, I think. This study uses the city as more than just the location of a society, but, perhaps as a character or concept as well, representative of the woman and how that concept is received in that time. Editor: I dig it! It's not just about portraying someone, but about saying something about a system, and I like how the raw feel contrasts with the sophistication suggested by those mad hats. Curator: Agreed. Tavenraat delivers a powerful, multilayered experience here. Editor: Right? Makes me wanna go sketch people with hats! You know, grab some coffee, observe and then maybe set fire to expectations about those people!