At the Riding School 1917 - 1919

Curator: Ludvig Karsten’s painting, “At the Riding School,” made with oil on canvas around 1917-1919. It’s currently housed here at the SMK. Editor: It has an almost ghostly feel. The figures are suggested rather than defined. I’m immediately drawn to the brushwork; it is loose, almost frantic in places, especially around the horse. Curator: Karsten often embraced broad strokes, didn't he? It's intriguing how the artist uses visible brushstrokes and blocks of color. Can you elaborate on your feeling about the frenetic application? Editor: It creates a sense of movement, a transient moment caught on canvas. Look at the interplay of blues and greens, creating shadows, but also…an emotional coolness, as if detached. And the layering of colors - what strikes me most is this build-up adds to the weight and physical presence. Curator: True. Expressionism often seeks to capture inner experience over literal reality. Now, if you examine the attire of the figures, there's a clear indicator of their social standing. Riding lessons were certainly not accessible to all during this period. Do you see the contrast that’s at play? Editor: I hadn't thought of it in quite those terms. Yet, it isn't just the outfits, is it? There is a deliberate blur that distances the scene. As you suggested, rather than detailed likenesses we are confronted by suggestions, evoking an emotional impact that resonates beyond social narrative. Curator: Precisely! We gain so much looking beyond that immediate composition! The horse itself – less a steed, more an imposing block of almost-green hues that seems ready to topple… the riding school here emerges not just a scene of leisure, but rather, a symbolic glimpse into the stratified structures of early 20th-century society, wouldn’t you say? Editor: Perhaps. Its artistic approach gives off something darker, more intimate that still leaves space for a range of interpretations regarding social class. Overall, its beauty, for me, stems from an emotive depth crafted by pure pictorial means, offering a stark contemplation on the power of suggestion.