Johannes Hage (Danish Politician) 1918

This bronze bust of Johannes Hage, the Danish politician, was made by Ludvig Brandstrup, but the exact date, well, that remains a mystery. The way Brandstrup has worked the surface is really striking; there's a directness, a real sense of his hand, even in reproduction. You can see how he’s built up the form, one little dab of clay at a time. Look closely at the way the light catches the brow above his right eye. It’s not smooth or perfect, it's got this almost crumbly texture, like he was wrestling with the material, figuring out what the sculpture wanted to be. It's this raw, expressive quality that makes it compelling. Brandstrup seems to be having a conversation with the clay. I am reminded of Rodin and his raw textured surfaces, but there is something quite unique in the way Brandstrup handles the medium. The bust feels like an ongoing experiment rather than a finished statement. And maybe that’s the point: art isn’t about answers, it’s about the questions we ask along the way.