A Calf Licking Itself 1888

Curator: Standing here, we are face to face with Anne Marie Carl Nielsen's bronze sculpture, "A Calf Licking Itself," crafted in 1888 and held here at the SMK. It's got this wonderfully unadorned realism about it. What’s your initial reaction? Editor: Awkward elegance, perhaps? There's something slightly off-kilter about its pose, yet the bronze lends a sense of enduring grace. The angle creates an interplay between the musculature and the action—definitely attention-grabbing. Curator: Yes, and for Nielsen to immortalize such a common scene is brilliant, really. The bronze transforms a fleeting animal behavior into something monumental, even tender. There is something undeniably intimate in the calf’s self-care, this basic act of existence that Carl Nielsen highlights so beautifully. Editor: Agreed. The emphasis on the corporeal is key. The sculpture isn't about idealized beauty but about representing a body in action. The rough texture and varied patinas accentuate the form's mass and density and bring this sculpture to life. It begs you to reach out and touch it! Curator: Precisely. Carl Nielsen’s profound skill as a sculptor comes alive in that moment, as she makes it incredibly sensory! I can practically smell the animal, can’t you? More than just observation, she captured the very essence of "calfness," don't you think? Editor: I think so. The artist directs us toward a heightened awareness. I do wonder what this focus on raw physicality might signify within a broader cultural or artistic context, especially at that period of production, where subjects of work seem to lean heavily toward mythos and heroic figure... Curator: Interesting! I hadn't considered the rebellion there... that in 1888 she chose such an everyday subject over something more bombastic. Very punk, Anne Marie. Editor: Indeed! "A Calf Licking Itself" challenges viewers to find the profound in the quotidian and in nature and demands consideration. Curator: So, we are left considering not only Nielsen’s artistic eye but also what this animal gaze reflects about us and our perceptions of life, the wild, and the everyday. Editor: Right. I see now this bronze calf encourages reflection on our animal nature, self-care, and what we may be blind to by not paying attention.