Jannes opgang van de Kleine Scheidegg 1858 - 1859

Editor: So, this is "Jannes opgang van de Kleine Scheidegg" by Johannes Tavenraat, made around 1858-1859. It's a pencil drawing on paper and part of the Rijksmuseum collection. Looking at the stark, almost scribbled lines of the mountain range, it feels very much like a quickly captured impression. What strikes you most when you look at it? Curator: What I find fascinating is how this simple sketch, a seemingly quick study, whispers volumes about the Romantic era's obsession with nature's grandeur. Tavenraat doesn't present us with a polished landscape, does he? Instead, we get raw, untamed emotion—a feeling more than a view. It’s as if he is saying: behold this place, sense its spirit and might. Do you get that from those hesitant, yet bold lines? Editor: Yes, absolutely! There's a kind of vulnerability to it. But, is it finished, do you think? It feels so immediate and sketch-like. Curator: Exactly. Think of it like a musical phrase—the start of something, pregnant with possibility, even without all the notes. It may have served as the groundwork for something else or been complete in its feeling, like a poem left open ended. I bet this captures the exact feeling he was looking for at the top! Editor: I see, it captures the essence without needing to be a finished piece. Thanks, I never thought of art that way before! Curator: And now, I've learned something from you, too - how openness in art speaks even louder sometimes.