Karikaturale mannenkoppen en een jager met hond 1840 - 1868

Johannes Tavenraat made this sheet of studies with pen and brown ink, sometime in the 19th century. You see caricature heads, full of character, and a hunter with his dog. But what I find most interesting is the artist's use of line. See how Tavenraat uses the fineness and density of his marks to create texture and volume. The strokes are incredibly economic, and yet so expressive. The character’s faces are brought to life with simple hatching to describe the shadows of the cheekbones, or the folds of the eyelids. The same is true for the depiction of the hunter. You can see the crispness of his coat, and the fur of the dog. It’s easy to overlook the skill involved in works like this. Tavenraat had clearly mastered his materials. The drawing looks effortless, and yet it is a complex and deeply considered work, born of keen observation and careful practice. It bridges the worlds of fine art and craft.