Koppen 1840 - 1880

This is Johannes Tavenraat’s sketch titled "Koppen" made with pen in brown ink. Tavenraat lived through a tumultuous period in Dutch history marked by shifting political landscapes and cultural transformations following the Napoleonic era. At first glance, the sheet seems to juxtapose the mundane with the profound. We see meticulous numerical calculations sharing space with character studies of heads. What does it mean to see detailed accounts alongside character sketches on the same page? Is Tavenraat suggesting a relationship between commerce and character? The figures, drawn with stark lines, evoke a sense of melancholy. What stories do these faces tell, and how do they relate to the economic realities represented by the numbers above? This work prompts us to consider how artists engage with and reflect the social and political contexts of their time. Tavenraat seems to challenge us to see beyond the surface, to find the human stories embedded within the structures of society.