Men det er saa dejligt... 1928

Fritz Syberg made this drawing, Men det er saa dejligt..., with ink on paper. There's a real immediacy to the marks, a kind of scribbly energy. It's like Syberg is thinking through the scene right in front of us. It's a simple domestic interior with a woman sitting by a table, but it feels like we're right there in the room with her. The textures are amazing – the way he uses lines to suggest the light coming through the window, or the weight of the woman's body on the stool. See how he uses hatching to create shadows and volume? It's not about perfect representation, but about capturing a feeling, an atmosphere. And the writing too, scrawled in the margin, becomes part of the composition. Syberg reminds me a bit of Paula Modersohn-Becker, who was also interested in everyday subjects and a kind of raw, honest depiction of life. Both artists show us that art isn't about slickness or perfection, but about being present and engaged with the world.