Stadsgezicht 1840 - 1841

Johannes Tavenraat made this cityscape drawing in the Netherlands sometime in the mid-19th century. It is done in graphite on paper. Tavenraat was part of a generation of Dutch artists who came of age in the wake of the Napoleonic wars. Many of them were interested in documenting the world around them, and their work provides a window into the social and cultural life of the Netherlands at that time. The Rijksmuseum, like many national museums, began during this period. This drawing, by an artist who would otherwise be lost to history, is kept in the museum’s collection and made available to the public to support national cultural identity. A historian looking at this drawing might ask what kind of social conditions made it possible. How did the rise of the middle class and the growth of cities influence the kinds of art that were produced? And how did institutions like the Rijksmuseum shape the way that art was collected and displayed? By asking these kinds of questions, we can begin to understand the complex relationship between art and society.