To par der slås, til venstre: Jakob og engelen 1879 - 1910

Curator: Oh, this has a strange energy to it. Is that supposed to be turmoil or is it some weird dancing lesson gone wrong? Editor: Well, what we have here is Oluf Hartmann's sketch, "To par der slås, til venstre: Jakob og engelen," made sometime between 1879 and 1910. It’s an ink and pen drawing held in the collection of the SMK, the National Gallery of Denmark. Hartmann was known for his symbolist approach, often depicting biblical or mythological scenes. Curator: A sketch... You can really feel the artist figuring things out. Look at the pressure of the lines! Some are tentative, searching, while others are bold, almost aggressive. And the use of such cheap material as a humble support suggests this image might have originated from personal notes or even as a preliminary idea for a larger painting or project. Editor: Precisely! The swift lines made using pen and ink would make this a fast means for the artist to work out complex figurative and thematic elements. But how the use of the symbolism in the context of this historical narrative influences its artistic message is still an unanswered question for me. What do you read in the interplay of these figures? Curator: What do I see? Tension. The figures are interwoven. The way those bodies are tangled and fighting… It’s a really human depiction of divine conflict. The materiality also echoes that struggle. The raw paper, the starkness of the ink… it lacks refinement but brims with honesty and captures a moment, like a freeze-frame from a dream. Editor: So the rawness amplifies its impact on the viewer, but the economic cost of materials also dictates that access might influence creation and the reception of its narrative to create a work. The struggle to represent something, materially and thematically—I find that genuinely engaging. Curator: I agree. It is a work that holds many interpretations, inviting us to delve into the wrestling matches we have to tackle ourselves in daily life. Editor: Absolutely, this piece leaves me pondering about the meaning behind struggles, and how these dynamics play out across cultures.