Skitsebog 1896-97 1896 - 1897

This is a page from Agnes Slott-Møller's sketchbook from 1896-97, a collection of intimate glimpses into her artistic process. Although the page is mostly empty, it is full of symbolism of what is to come. The blank page itself carries profound weight. Across cultures, blank canvases or untouched clay have symbolized potential and creation. In ancient Greek mythology, Chaos, the void before creation, was not empty but full of potential forms. Think, for example, of the Gnostic idea of Barbelo, the divine feminine principle representing the primordial, unmanifested thought of the divine. This symbol has resurfaced time and time again. Consider, too, the Zen Buddhist concept of 'mu,' or emptiness, not as nothingness but as a space pregnant with possibility. This connects to the artist's psyche, a mirror reflecting not just what is, but what could be, hinting at the powerful subconscious forces that shape artistic vision and our perception of the world. The blank page is both a void and a promise, a space where the artist's subconscious can play.