Arkaisk græsk Kore (Athen) 1934

Curator: Before us, we see Marie Henriques' 1934 lithograph, watercolor, and print titled "Arkaisk græsk Kore (Athen)," which translates to "Archaic Greek Kore (Athens)." Editor: There’s something unsettling and washed-out about it, almost ghostly, but with these carefully delineated, colorful decorations across her garments, which pop up from a more faded, blurred style. It is an ambiguous mix. Curator: It is fascinating how Henriques chose to portray this kore. In ancient Greece, kore statues served as votive offerings or grave markers, imbued with societal expectations for young women. What does it mean when a modern artist reproduces a figure so thoroughly shaped by cultural constraints? Editor: Reproduction is an apt term, because you immediately zoom into symbolism when the materiality interests me more. Look at the lithographic lines mimicked by the brushstrokes to give an impression of both permanence and impermanence. Is this, maybe, hinting to how these cultural constraints persist over time? Curator: I think so. By recreating this statue using accessible printmaking techniques and the intimate medium of watercolor, Henriques democratizes an emblem of elite ancient society. Editor: Right, because consider the labor! To produce the original sculpture from stone was expensive; Henriques creates with watercolor a potentially endless number of copies available for display. But why evoke such an ancient image through such labor and medium? Curator: Marie Henriques moved within intellectual circles engaged in reassessing classical ideals and how they shaped Scandinavian identity. This artwork likely participates in those discussions, asking whether we ought to preserve ancient power structures in modern society or create alternatives. Editor: A fascinating interpretation through material acts! A reevaluation of ancient production processes, making its cultural weight newly available and questionnable, literally printed into new existence by modern means. Curator: Absolutely, it encourages us to contemplate our relationship with the past and consider its legacy on our current social landscape. Editor: Thank you. I'll be spending some time wondering at how the act of printing itself opens so much consideration of the statue's place and value.