Haas en twee koppen 1840 - 1880

Editor: Here we have Johannes Tavenraat's "Hare and Two Heads", created sometime between 1840 and 1880. It's an ink drawing held at the Rijksmuseum. It strikes me as so immediate, a glimpse into the artist's mind at work. What do you see in this piece? Curator: Well, first off, it whispers possibilities, doesn’t it? A flurry of ink captured a hare and those faces… Perhaps they are fleeting observations? Or maybe even caricatures plucked from everyday life, nestled beside this leaping hare as if sprung from a dream. Does the hare embody freedom while the faces represent something more grounded? Editor: That’s an interesting way to put it. Freedom versus the mundane. It definitely has that feeling of a captured moment, rather than something carefully planned. Curator: Exactly! And look at the varying intensity of the ink. Some lines are tentative, exploratory; others bold and assertive. Do you think it resembles how memory works? Fragments surface with different degrees of clarity? Maybe the artist aimed for a balance between control and surrendering to chance? Editor: I hadn't thought of it like that, the ink reflecting memory... It really does bring another layer to the work. The faces almost feel like they're emerging from the page. Curator: They are haunting, aren't they? But tell me, who are they, or, better yet, *what* are they? Are they watching us? What do you see in their expressions? Perhaps the magic resides not in answering these questions, but simply asking them, and letting our minds leap into the drawing. Editor: I like that a lot - it is not about knowing the answer. More the act of pondering itself. Thank you! Curator: My pleasure. And maybe we leave viewers pondering their own connection to the hare, and those captivating faces, too!