Rivierlandschap met een molen 1868 - 1869

Johannes Tavenraat made this watercolor landscape with pen and brown ink, in the Netherlands. The sepia tones are characteristically Dutch, and the linear quality reminds us that this is a drawing, first and foremost. You can see how the artist has built up the image in layers: the initial sketch, then the washes of color that convey the atmosphere and light. The thinness of the material allows the support to shine through, so it becomes an integral part of the image. The very act of drawing a landscape, with its agrarian structures like the windmill in the background, connects us to the social and economic importance of the land in the 19th century. Tavenraat has captured not just a pretty view, but a whole network of human labor and its relationship with the natural world. Consider how everyday materials and accessible techniques can still speak volumes about history, society, and our place within it.