Kop 1840 - 1880

This is a drawing, made with pen and brown ink on paper by Johannes Tavenraat in the 19th century. The title, Kop, simply means "head" in Dutch. What's interesting here is the directness of the hand. With a drawing, you're immediately confronted with the artist's skill. The ink, fluid and unforgiving, allows for little correction. The artist's hand becomes a tool, deftly translating what the eye sees onto the page. We can appreciate Tavenraat's economy of line, achieving form and expression with minimal strokes. Drawings were often preparatory works, studies for larger paintings or prints. However, they can also stand alone as finished pieces, showcasing the artist's mastery of their craft. The immediacy and intimacy of a drawing like this reminds us that art-making is, at its core, a human act, a direct connection between the artist's mind, hand, and the world around them.