Studier af hesteskulptur 1896

Curator: We’re standing before Niels Larsen Stevns’s "Studier af hesteskulptur," created around 1896. It resides here at the SMK, Statens Museum for Kunst. Editor: My first thought? An intriguing study in contrasts. The delicate pencil lines against the rough paper create an unexpected tension. Curator: Absolutely. Notice the way Stevns captures the essential forms with minimal detail. The emphasis is on the underlying structure of the horse, its muscularity rendered with a sort of confident shorthand. The hatch marks give form to its otherwise faint body. Editor: I see those choices, but can we talk about the historical context? Equestrian statues were often symbols of power, associated with rulers and military prowess. Was Stevns engaging with those established tropes, or perhaps subverting them by presenting only fragments? He shows only hints of its body: tail, leg, back. Curator: Interesting point. It might be tempting to read into a deconstruction of power, yet it is only a sketch. Instead, I appreciate how the subtle shading models mass, particularly around what one assumes is the horse's flank. It is interesting, I must say, that the work seems unfinished. Editor: "Unfinished" resonates. Maybe that incompleteness is where we find the subversion. Stevns captures the symbolic animal, but it does not have an assertive presence. It’s not a celebration of dominion, it becomes simply about the art of representing. Its ambiguity speaks volumes, especially in light of fin-de-siècle anxieties. Curator: Perhaps the artist was focusing purely on form and volume, abstracting the symbolic value to concentrate on an aesthetic representation of its body and movement. Even today, this pencil work continues to capture our imaginations. Editor: For me, Stevns' sketch offers a lens through which to examine society's historic fascination with dominance and grandeur, offering space to consider more critical and humane views of society. Curator: And I, find myself still studying how well his work explores and develops principles of art and the formal dynamics involved when creating it.