Koppen 1840 - 1880

Curator: This is "Koppen", a captivating ink drawing by Johannes Tavenraat, dating somewhere between 1840 and 1880. It's part of the Rijksmuseum collection, a wonderful example of 19th-century figuration. Editor: Immediate impression? Raw energy. Those bold, scratchy lines really vibrate on the page. Makes me feel like I'm catching a quick glimpse of a busy marketplace or a lively pub. Like a memory sketched in haste. Curator: That sense of immediacy is definitely something Tavenraat captured effectively. The composition shows not one, but three quickly rendered portraits. We see different character studies—genre paintings even. How do you think that choice of portraying multiples affect the piece as a whole? Editor: Well, rather than a polished portrait intended for posterity, these quick sketches give the feeling that Tavenraat was hunting for a likeness, maybe a caricature. Notice the character on the left looks to be caught between identities. Like we are catching his souls transition on the page. There is real pathos there too. Curator: These would be what we might call 'tronies' – character studies of the period. Think of them as the 19th-century equivalent of quick, social media profile pictures, except done with ink and paper, a far less forgiving medium than Photoshop. These 'tronies' fulfilled very specific functions during the period, often acting as prototypes for larger narrative painting projects. Editor: That makes perfect sense. And it amplifies the idea that what we are seeing here is something less staged and more intimate than the finished product. A rehearsal, or at least a backstage view. I am even reminded of Honoré Daumier and his satirical lithographs. Curator: It certainly does share similarities with the broader artistic concerns of the time, reflecting a rising interest in the everyday lives and characters of ordinary people, especially within emerging urban centers. There's an entire scholarly discourse around how the Industrial Revolution transformed the function of portraiture... Editor: You’re right. And thanks for reining me in, I'm always threatening to spiral off on one of my mad flights of imagination. It's so fascinating how this simple ink drawing offers us a direct portal to not just Tavenraat’s mind, but an entire historical moment. Curator: Indeed. And its loose, experimental feel, challenges our notions of 19th-century Dutch art that can sometimes be conceived as purely realist and formally rigid. Editor: I will walk away remembering those furiously rendered characters struggling for clarity, the tension in those few, simple lines. The way one little sketch can make the whole of the 1800s breath again.