Jachthond 1840 - 1880

Editor: So, here we have Johannes Tavenraat’s "Jachthond," or "Hunting Dog," created sometime between 1840 and 1880. It's an ink drawing currently residing in the Rijksmuseum. I'm struck by how spare it is, almost like a memory. What do you see in it? Curator: A memory, yes! It’s like a whisper of a dog, captured in the fleeting strokes of ink. The artist wasn’t aiming for anatomical perfection but rather, I suspect, to evoke the *spirit* of the hunting dog. He really emphasized musculature and, especially, tension, wouldn't you agree? The posture tells everything about what a dog is there for, which goes far beyond representing just another animal, right? Editor: Definitely, it's all contained tension and readiness! But the way the landscape is barely suggested, almost smudged in – is that intentional do you think, or just a quick study? Curator: Both, perhaps! It's like Tavenraat isn't interested in a particular landscape so much as in placing his dog in an archetypal “dog-space.” That smokiness hints at earth and sky, maybe even the scent the dog is following, becoming the *essence* of the dog’s world in very few strokes. Did you notice he's basically reduced it all to what could just as well be clouds and the color of ground? Editor: I hadn't thought of it that way, but I see it now. So, it's not *about* the dog, but what the dog *represents*? Curator: Precisely! It's the 'dog-ness' of it all – the hunt, the loyalty, the primal connection to the land. The artist really just used his dog character to let *that* emerge to the canvas through the power of suggestion, it just took one brushstroke at a time. What do *you* take away from that? Editor: I love that, this pursuit of capturing an essence rather than just an image. It gives the piece a real depth. Now I am much more engaged in finding similar depth elsewhere... Curator: Absolutely, let the art become more! Never leave art unchanged, or let *yourself* be unchanged!