Vier koppen 1840 - 1880

Curator: Well, hello there. Before us we have "Vier Koppen," or "Four Heads," a pen and ink drawing made sometime between 1840 and 1880. It comes to us courtesy of Johannes Tavenraat. What springs to mind for you looking at these intriguing faces? Editor: Intriguing is a polite word. My immediate feeling is a sense of, I don't know, controlled chaos? These are not flattering portraits; there's something almost grotesque about the exaggerations, yet there's also a confidence in the line work that's quite compelling. They have the air of caricatures from a dark fairy tale. Curator: You know, that's a beautiful reading. Considering that the Romantic period saw a revival of interest in folklore and the exploration of intense emotions, perhaps these are Tavenraat's way of visually manifesting those themes? The grotesque features are almost allegorical, each face a different human failing given form. Editor: Precisely. Look at the lines themselves. There is an interesting play of precision and abandon here, isn’t it? They seem very consciously, meticulously done, even as they convey caricature; in the cultural memory, these kind of figures embody various social failings. Look at that jowly fellow on the left – you can see the old iconography of "greed," personified as the overfed burgher, maybe. The sketch style gives a lively sense that the subject might walk off the page at any moment. Curator: You picked up on something I really wanted to address! The Romantic Period, sure, saw interest in extremes of feeling. But also a new fascination with the preternatural power of dreams. Could this be more of a fever dream laid out on paper? An examination of inner psychological realities played out on human faces? Editor: It is an attractive proposition. But that Romanticist drama and the sense of exaggeration pushes my mind towards symbols for character traits more than records of actual appearances. Though, honestly, maybe there's not such a difference... we *do* tend to wear our character in our faces, eventually, right? Curator: Haha, fair point! Whether Tavenraat meant for these heads to be windows into inner realities or broadsides against certain character types... It feels deeply satisfying, right? A lot of personality is expressed. Editor: I have to agree! There’s something deeply arresting about that. An interesting and quick distillation of what, ultimately, makes people people.