Koppen van monniken, mannen en een vrouw 1864 - 1880

Johannes Tavenraat made this drawing with pen in gray ink, depicting studies of heads, including monks and a woman. Tavenraat was working in the Netherlands in the first half of the 19th century, a time of great social change and the decline of religious institutions. We can consider how this drawing, with its central focus on monks, participates in the wider cultural shift, the attitude to religious figures, and the institutions they represent. Consider how the visual codes of dress and expression create meaning. What did the figure of the monk signify in 19th century Dutch society? Is it self-consciously conservative or progressive? Is it a critique of the institutions of art? As historians, we must turn to a wide variety of source materials to understand the context of this image. We can research Tavenraat's biography, the history of the church in the Netherlands, and popular imagery of monks in the 19th century. The meaning of art is always contingent on its social and institutional context.