Portræt af maleren og keramikeren Chr. Joachim (1870-1943) 1908

Curator: Robert Storm Petersen created this portrait, a drawing in pen and graphite from 1908, titled "Portræt af maleren og keramikeren Chr. Joachim." Editor: My initial impression is quite stark. The extreme simplification, almost like a child’s drawing, mixed with the cross-hatching...it’s disarming and yet intriguing. The hollow, dark eyes draw me in immediately. Curator: Indeed, the reduction of Joachim's features to near-geometric shapes creates a powerful sense of caricature, a concentrated essence rather than a likeness. The eyes become keyholes to something perhaps unseen. The extended neck, a vertical signifier…what does that evoke for you? Editor: Well, stretching any body part invites an examination of labor. Perhaps that lengthening is referencing the way creative professionals’ bodies must contort and adapt to their crafts, maybe with ceramicists’ long necks leaning into a spinning wheel for instance? Also, look closely at the jacket; it’s almost entirely scribbled. So much labour involved in building up that mass with hatching and shading, only to then render the face almost…negligibly. Curator: An astute observation about the disproportionate detailing. Beyond the work itself, I wonder what symbols are evoked by Petersen choosing Joachim, a fellow artist, as the subject of this rendering. Is there an echo of the traditional artistic portrayal of oneself within the canon through the depiction of peers? What messages were implicit when an artist depicted an artist? Editor: Or maybe there’s a material critique being made through such a method. By choosing such a simplified method, almost childish, does he mean to imply anything about the act of portraying Joachim with the barest tools and time available, rather than more noble approaches like paints? This portrait has an undeniably throw-away quality. Curator: A thought-provoking interpretation! Ultimately, the drawing acts as a cultural record and becomes part of a long line of symbol usage with Petersen's particular spin. The meaning constantly shifts across time. Editor: Yes, thinking about artistic processes here adds to my enjoyment of Petersen's art. Now, looking back at that meticulous cross-hatching on the jacket, I notice it feels so separate from the portrait above…