Model stående en face, hovedet støttet mod den løftede højre arm; ikke tegnet færdig 1745 - 1802

Curator: Here we have a drawing titled "Model standing en face, head supported against the raised right arm; not finished drawing", created between 1745 and 1802 by Jens Juel. Editor: Immediately I see tension in the figure, even though the drawing remains unfinished. The posture, head leaning heavily on the arm...it evokes a sense of weariness, maybe even despair. Curator: It’s interesting you mention that. Juel's work often revolved around portraiture and figuration, and during this period, academic art stressed anatomical study. Looking at the graphite and pencil strokes, one can imagine him at work— studying and re-studying the human form through repeated sketching. Editor: I find the position of the arm particularly striking. The raised arm, head tilted… there is a classical motif here. The pose almost mimics the "melancholic" figure so often seen in Renaissance depictions of Saturn, god of depression. Was Juel drawing on that? Curator: Possibly. The pose would certainly be familiar from artistic and even theatrical conventions. It is an unfinished drawing so the question of his final intention remains tantalizingly open. What I find compelling is thinking about what this sketch reveals about artistic labor and the steps needed to arrive at a finished work of art. We don’t see all of that so easily when we admire the pristine finish of, say, an oil painting. Editor: I agree, the very unfinished nature draws one in and encourages projection and contemplation of narrative possibilities beyond pure visual form. To think of the symbolic language being created… Curator: And perhaps even subverted…It makes me think differently about the artistic processes involved in creating such images and where those images finally arrive in culture. Editor: It makes me reconsider where cultural symbols begin and how those images echo. A small sketch can say so much!