Blyantssværtning 1896

Editor: Here we have "Pencil Darkening," made in 1896 by Niels Larsen Stevns. It's a drawing done with graphite and pastel on paper and is part of the collection at the SMK. Looking at it, I immediately think of a stormy sky, but… abstracted, of course. What do you see in this piece? Curator: A stormy sky...Yes! Or maybe an inner landscape? To me, it feels almost like an experiment, a record of a mood more than a scene. See how the pastel and graphite merge, creating that hazy, almost dreamlike texture? It's impressionistic, in a way, capturing a fleeting feeling. What feeling does it evoke for you? Editor: That hazy quality makes sense considering its categorized under Impressionism. For me, it creates a feeling of unrest and a little anxiety, but a contained feeling. Curator: Exactly! The controlled, contained chaos… That tension makes it powerful, I think. Given that it's "just" pencil and pastel, Stevns wrings a surprising amount of emotion from those simple materials. Do you think that limitation of material serves him, helps to make it more evocative, in its simplicity? Editor: I do. Almost like limitations breed creativity. With fewer tools, he’s pushed further. The blurring effect really intensifies that emotion as well, like it's not something we're meant to understand, only feel. Curator: Yes! Precisely. Sometimes it's the limitations that allow the true essence to emerge, like the most potent dreams are the ones we struggle to remember clearly. What a fitting end to this thoughtful little pondering. Editor: It’s interesting to think about how much feeling an artist can express even through simple drawings like this! I will never look at my sketchbook the same way!