Notities 1854 - 1868

This handwritten page of “Notities,” or notes, was made by Johannes Tavenraat sometime in the 19th century. It shows us the artist's hand, literally, through the marks left by his pen. The paper itself is humble, clearly a readily available material, and the writing is dense, packed edge to edge as though Tavenraat didn’t want to waste a scrap. This economy suggests a life lived without great surplus, even though Tavenraat was an accomplished painter. The writing isn’t calligraphic; it is the everyday hand of a working artist, more intent on capturing ideas than achieving an aesthetic effect. It is a reminder that even for a successful artist, life in the 1800s was, on some level, a constant negotiation with material limitations. By considering these down-to-earth aspects, we can better understand the conditions that gave rise to more celebrated works of art.