Zeilschepen op het meer bij Chaam in Brabant 1839 - 1872

Editor: This drawing, "Zeilschepen op het meer bij Chaam in Brabant," created by Johannes Tavenraat between 1839 and 1872, features sailing ships, or rather sketches of them, interspersed with portrait studies in pencil on paper. It has a rather utilitarian feel, like a page ripped straight from a sketchbook. What strikes you about this piece? Curator: I'm intrigued by the layering of imagery and the visible process. It pushes against traditional notions of a finished artwork. Notice the casual quality of the pencil strokes; they emphasize the labor involved, the sheer act of *making*. The materiality of the paper itself becomes part of the story – it's not pristine, it's clearly been worked on, reused, perhaps even recycled. How does this raw quality relate to the subjects Tavenraat chose to depict? Editor: That's a great point, its "sketchiness" and incompleteness somehow challenge the portraits themselves which feel official with titles underneath like "l'Empereur Alexandre". So what exactly was Tavenraat making? Curator: Perhaps these weren't conceived as 'art' at all in the traditional sense, but studies towards some future, larger project, maybe even something we'd classify as craft – theatrical design or book illustration. Look at how the page is inscribed on the lower right with the location depicted, in the Bossche region; it’s clearly a site study for an unrealized piece of work. Tavenraat has inscribed on the verso further process notes – perhaps it represents a step toward realizing “high art”, in this case, a painting of Brabant's bodies of water, via this utilitarian drawing. Editor: So by emphasizing the materiality and labor, you're shifting our focus away from simply *what* is depicted to *how* it was made and what it means? Curator: Exactly. It's about deconstructing the romantic notion of the artist as a lone genius and looking at the socio-economic context of art production. What tools are available, who commissions the work, and what are the material limitations? All these considerations are visible within Tavenraat's drawing. Editor: I never thought I could see so much by considering just the medium and the process itself. Curator: The true story is always to be found by examining the method, as the raw means can show.