Drie staande en één hurkende man en drie honden c. 1862 - 1864

Johannes Tavenraat made this page of sketches using pen and brown ink, capturing figures and dogs with an economy of line. The brown ink, fluid and immediate, allows for a direct translation of the artist's observation onto the page. You can almost see his hand moving quickly, capturing the essence of each form with minimal strokes. The paper itself, humble and unadorned, speaks to the work's function as a study rather than a finished piece. These sketches offer insight into the artistic process, revealing how Tavenraat experimented with composition and form, and his interest in capturing the everyday. By valuing the immediacy of the drawn line, and the labor involved in close observation, we can appreciate the aesthetic inherent in the making process, challenging any hierarchy between 'finished' art and preparatory work.