Twee koppen met bijbelverzen 1871

Johannes Tavenraat created this drawing, "Two Heads with Bible Verses," using pen and brown ink. The composition is dominated by two grotesque heads in profile, facing each other, which are drawn with dynamic, almost frantic lines. This imbues them with a raw, immediate energy. The hasty application of ink suggests a kind of automatic drawing, as if Tavenraat sought to bypass conscious thought to capture something more primal. Note the loose cross-hatching that defines the figures; this isn't about refined realism but rather about conveying a sense of character through form. The faces are caricatures, exaggerating features in ways that border on the absurd. The accompanying biblical verses, written in elegant script, seem almost ironic when paired with such unflattering depictions. The juxtaposition creates a tension that invites us to question traditional relationships between text and image, sacred and profane. Tavenraat’s sketch thus functions as an ongoing site of interpretation, a space where viewers engage with the formal qualities and cultural codes that shape meaning.