Ornamentik 1864 - 1941

Curator: This pencil drawing on paper, "Ornamentik" by Niels Larsen Stevns, dating from 1864 to 1941, feels incredibly immediate. The geometric forms are presented so plainly in the sketchbook. What are your initial impressions? Editor: The roughness strikes me, too. There's a delicate, almost tentative quality despite the definitive geometric shapes. It feels intimate, like peering into the artist’s creative process. The architectural character has an underlying social connection due to its geometric structure. Curator: Absolutely. Stevns lived in a time of huge political and industrial change in Denmark, I see something really subversive, though. He wasn't afraid of abstraction. Editor: Yes, that idea of ornament pushing back, of staking a claim in a visual vocabulary traditionally deployed by institutions... And seeing these motifs situated within the everyday texture of a notebook adds to that disruption. Did these concepts help him to think beyond what the motifs implied? Curator: Possibly. It might be hard to imagine today, but the language of ornament was fiercely contested back then. Reformers, politicians, religious authorities… Editor: That's interesting because these kinds of design choices weren't just about aesthetics; they were about power, control, and asserting certain values. I agree it’s likely his intent was more deeply layered. What societal values can the motif convey? Curator: Thinking about the societal values they may express… ideas of beauty, progress and national identity come to mind, definitely filtered through his specific intellectual lens, though. These sketches were no doubt formative steps to those other conversations. Editor: Agreed. So much richness captured in such humble media! It reminds me to always consider the complexities inherent in these geometric forms, in their historical echoes and their ongoing capacity to shape culture and politics today. Curator: A worthwhile point of reflection for both of us. The socio-historical implications layered upon that foundation make it worthwhile. Thank you for providing a rich exchange on Stevns's sketch!