Signatuur en notities 1840

Editor: This is "Signature and Notes," made in 1840 by Johannes Tavenraat, rendered in ink and watercolor on paper. It looks like a casual sketchbook page, with script floating above smudges. What strikes you most about this work? Curator: For me, the intrigue lies in its materiality and process. Consider the paper itself—its manufacture, its aging, its imperfections revealed by the delicate watercolor. It isn't just a surface; it's a record of its own history. What was the market for paper like in Rotterdam in 1840? Was this commercially produced paper, or handmade? Editor: That's interesting, I hadn't considered the paper as having its own story to tell. I was focusing more on the script, which seems very deliberate. Curator: The script *is* intentional, of course, acting as both signature and annotation. But what does the act of handwriting signify here? In an era of burgeoning print culture, the hand-made mark becomes a defiant act. It's labor made visible, thought given form. It creates intimacy with the art work as well. Editor: So, it's almost like a statement against industrialization, in a way? Curator: Precisely! Or at least a negotiation with it. Tavenraat's work utilizes commercially available materials – ink, paper, watercolour – yet asserts its value through individual skill and craftsmanship. Even what may appear spontaneous is crafted. This tensions plays out over and over again with new forms of manufacturing through today. Editor: That gives me a completely new perspective on the drawing. Thanks. I am leaving with an appreciation for the ways materials contribute to an artwork's meaning, and its context! Curator: And I’m considering what aspects are emphasized or intentionally obscured through specific medium choices, from sketches on paper like this, to those created with contemporary means.