Notities 1840 - 1841

This is a page of "Notes" by Johannes Tavenraat. It’s a subtle drawing in graphite on paper. Tavenraat was working in the Netherlands in the mid-19th century, a time of political and social change. Looking at his landscapes, marine scenes, and figure drawings, the viewer has to bring to them an understanding of the art institutions that gave shape to the world Tavenraat inhabited. Was he trained in an academy? Where and with whom did he exhibit? These details tell us something about his ambitions as an artist. This particular work exists in the collection of the Rijksmuseum, an institution with its own complex history. To fully understand this seemingly simple drawing, the historian looks to archival records, exhibition catalogs, and critical reviews. Only then can we begin to grasp its place in the larger story of 19th-century Dutch art.