Hert 1840 - 1880

Curator: Look here, we have “Hert” (Deer), an ink and pen drawing by Johannes Tavenraat, dating back to somewhere between 1840 and 1880. It resides here at the Rijksmuseum. Editor: Immediately, the rough quality of the lines, combined with the subject matter, presents a fascinatingly whimsical effect. It feels less like a finished piece and more like a rapidly jotted thought. Curator: Precisely! The piece is incredibly revealing. Look at how the artist has prioritized a sense of dynamism. The deer almost seems mid-leap, yet it’s constructed of simple lines and varying pen pressures. The hatching, particularly on the rear of the animal, is worth noting. It's rudimentary, but somehow conveys volume. Editor: I’m struck by its possible relation to practices of natural history. Did Tavenraat intend this as a more formal study, or was this conceived as pure, immediate observation? These quickly rendered forms could symbolize a departure from academic, classically oriented art styles towards an empirical approach and a scientific way of visualizing nature, more accessible for general public knowledge and for teaching practices in secondary education. Curator: Possibly, but what is missing to connect this with public visibility of imagery, if that was his intention, is any indication about its potential integration within a specific project or series. Nonetheless, a significant point. Regardless, let us dwell on its intrinsic visual character: note the curious blank space for the antlers; almost ghostly. The interplay of stark, confident lines versus the deliberate omissions makes for a rather unsettling balance. It generates tension between depiction and abstraction. Editor: Perhaps a metaphor for nature's elusive quality? We perceive it, but never fully grasp its complexity? Its presence, here, in the Rijksmuseum suggests that even the simplest of sketches possesses a cultural resonance beyond mere visual depiction of the natural world. Curator: A resonant way to summarize this little marvel! We might consider it an insightful study that, rather ironically, achieves so much, artistically, through what it chooses to exclude.