de Sprong 1840 - 1880

This quick sketch, 'de Sprong', or 'the Jump', was made by Johannes Tavenraat in the 19th century, using pen and brown ink on paper. The choice of materials is notable. It's not a grand oil painting, but rather, an intimate drawing. The immediacy of the ink on paper captures a fleeting moment in nature. Tavenraat's skill is evident in the way he uses the pen to create texture and movement. You can see the hare's fur, the suggestion of a field, the distant figures of the horses and a cow. The drawing embodies a connection to the natural world, yet it is made with industrially produced materials. Ink and paper are not ‘natural’ materials, but rather commodified products of a modernising world. So, the drawing mediates between the experience of the Dutch landscape, and the everyday economics of its time. It invites us to consider the relationship between art, craft, and the industrial processes that shape our world.