Studieblad, onder andere met mannenkoppen en vrouwen met kappen 1841 - 1853

Editor: This is "Studieblad, onder andere met mannenkoppen en vrouwen met kappen," a study sheet by Johannes Tavenraat, dating from between 1841 and 1853. It’s a pencil drawing on paper. What strikes me is the scattered arrangement and the economy of line. What do you see in this sheet? Curator: Indeed. I am immediately drawn to the spatial relationships, or lack thereof, between these figures. The page is a field of disconnected elements. Note how Tavenraat varies the pressure of his pencil. In the larger figures, the stronger lines create definition, whereas in the smaller sketches, the lightness contributes to a sense of ephemerality. Editor: So you’re focusing on the actual lines themselves rather than what they represent. Curator: Precisely. The linear quality, its varying weight and texture, creates visual interest independent of the subject matter. Consider the boat— it's merely suggested. It is less about the object it represents and more about the elegance of the curved line itself and its placement on the page. Does this visual dispersal convey intention or experiment? Editor: Hmm, maybe experiment. It feels like the artist was just practicing different figures and angles, and maybe not as much trying to compose them as a unit. Curator: I agree. There isn't an evident focal point; your eye bounces from one isolated sketch to the next, guided by these fluctuating contrasts of tone. That gives a fascinating, incomplete quality. What do you make of the surface? Editor: You mean the paper itself? I guess the paper contributes to the muted overall feel. It has marks on it, age spots and what look like droplets, adding texture. This incompleteness offers another way to appreciate this study sheet, by concentrating on the visual ingredients, which helps a viewer see the practice behind even finished artworks. Curator: It is exactly through these ‘incomplete’ drawings that the artistic gesture shines through!