Proprietær Otte Lawaetz 1906

This bronze bust of Proprietær Otte Lawaetz was made by Johannes Kragh, a sculptor from the turn of the last century. Look at those dark metallic curls tumbling around the head! You can see how Kragh has worked the material, pushing and pulling the bronze to capture Lawaetz’s likeness, maybe even his spirit. I imagine the studio filled with the clang of tools, the air thick with the smell of metal, and the artist circling, always circling, to get the angle just right. I wonder what Lawaetz was like? Did he sit patiently for Kragh, or did he fidget and offer unsolicited advice? Maybe Kragh saw something in Lawaetz's face - a strength, a vulnerability - that he wanted to immortalize in bronze. The way the light catches the ridge of the nose, the slight furrow of the brow, it's all so carefully observed, each touch a testament to the sculptor's craft. It reminds me a bit of Rodin's portraits, that same attention to detail, that same desire to capture the essence of a person in three dimensions. And isn’t that what art is all about?