Vier profielen 1840 - 1880

Curator: This drawing from the Rijksmuseum's collection is titled "Vier profielen", or "Four Profiles" and it's attributed to Johannes Tavenraat, dating from around 1840 to 1880. The medium is watercolor on paper. Editor: My immediate impression is of studies for a larger piece. The artist uses varying levels of wash creating a moody set of similar heads with slightly different characters. It feels very intimate. Curator: Absolutely. As a work on paper using watercolour, the relative portability suggests that this was possibly preparatory or made for the artist's own reference, before larger social or political events were put into images. Let's consider the process of watercolor application itself. How does that affect our perception? Editor: For me, it is important to consider Tavenraat’s choices of materials and production processes. Watercolour on paper lent itself well to this style and format as drawings, in this scale, often end up framed for collectors, or as reference for newspapers. This one feels different than other profile drawings, in part because we see the drips and irregularities that bring so much dynamism to the work. Curator: True. In that era, the profusion of newspapers, books, and journals helped to solidify particular power structures as the illustrated press grew exponentially. How would profile drawings play into that growing marketplace of imagery? Editor: Think about this. Are they the portraits of leaders or of the invisible class? The dramatic treatment and strong application of the monochrome adds to its allure as both artwork and artifact. The artist and their role becomes intertwined with that subject matter. Curator: You are pointing out an interesting relationship between the artist, subject and material. The distribution networks of the time, which were dominated by Europe’s more powerful elite classes would have shaped public taste and art's production. Editor: Ultimately, these "Four Profiles" prompt reflections on art's multifaceted connections. As much as an object to view, it exists as an indication of society and art historical moments. Curator: Indeed, examining the techniques alongside social functions of the art provides us new insight and appreciation for Tavenraat's body of work and practice.