Molen en een toren aan de Schie 1874 - 1879

Editor: This is "Mill and a Tower on the Schie," a pencil drawing made by Johannes Tavenraat between 1874 and 1879, and it’s currently housed in the Rijksmuseum. The landscape seems almost obscured by soft smudges; it gives it this dreamlike, ephemeral quality. How would you interpret this work from a formalist perspective? Curator: Indeed. Immediately, the artist's use of line is most apparent. Notice how Tavenraat employs a series of short, gestural lines to define form, particularly in the rendering of the trees and the water's surface. These lines, almost frenetic in their application, create a sense of movement and energy, contrasting with the relative stillness of the architectural elements. The composition also demands our attention. The placement of the mill and tower on the horizon, balanced by the mass of the trees and building on the right, establishes a visual equilibrium. But is that balance ultimately satisfying or does the texture of the foliage destabilize the composition? Editor: I see what you mean; the texture almost fights with the clear lines of the mill and tower. Does this contrast add meaning? Curator: Precisely. The contrast draws our eye in and around. What one feels, regardless of subject matter, becomes paramount to understanding Tavenraat's objectives, and therefore what it might signal about Realism in that moment of time. Editor: That's a helpful way to look at it. Thanks for the insight! Curator: It highlights that the beauty can often lie in the tension between the elements of form, line and balance.