Kristus stiller stormen 1856 - 1897

Editor: So, this is "Christ Stilling the Storm," a watercolor drawing by Joakim Skovgaard, made sometime between 1856 and 1897. I'm immediately drawn to the rough, almost unfinished quality, especially given the religious subject. What strikes you about this piece? Curator: Well, for me, it’s about understanding Skovgaard’s process and how it reflects his context. Watercolor was often considered preliminary, a study. His choice of it as a medium—a more accessible, less "precious" material—might suggest a democratizing impulse regarding religious imagery. Consider the labor involved: it's direct, immediate, without the same level of craft as a finished oil painting. Editor: So, it's less about the final image and more about how it was made and the social implications of those choices? Curator: Exactly! The sketch-like quality reduces the distance between the artist’s hand and the viewer. What kind of accessibility would that enable within a devotional experience? Think of the pigments themselves: how were they sourced? What was their cost? Even the support, likely paper, speaks to its own history of production and consumption. Are there any visible traces in the watercolor, such as the different applications of layers? Editor: That’s interesting, because the symbolism initially felt very dominant to me. Curator: But isn’t that symbolism mediated through the *material* choices? A highly polished, finely crafted image of the same subject would deliver a different message, wouldn't it? We see the labor embedded, not just the divine. Editor: I see what you mean. Considering the materiality opens up a whole new dimension. I always focused on interpretation, and never thought of how much the means of production and the availability of resources were an active part of how the art impacts us. Curator: Exactly. And how it might have impacted Skovgaard as he produced it.