Blad til "Dagens flue" 1945

Editor: This ink drawing is "Blad til 'Dagens flue'," or "Page for 'The Fly of the Day'," created in 1945 by Robert Storm Petersen. There’s a loneliness and fragility to the figure, and the way it’s drawn seems almost frantic, emphasized by all of these repetitive lines. What do you make of it? Curator: It's easy to see the anxiety in that hasty linework. Given that it was created in 1945, right at the close of World War II, do you think that frenetic style could be linked to the trauma and uncertainty of that period? How might it be expressing social unease through the figure? Editor: That's interesting, because I was thinking more about personal anxiety. But framing it in the larger historical context makes me reconsider the drawing's meaning. Maybe it’s about collective anxiety and the experience of witnessing world-shattering events. Curator: Precisely. The caricature style, the exaggerated features – these elements can be interpreted as social commentary, amplifying the feeling of disorientation so many experienced. Think about the function of caricature in periods of political upheaval – what’s being amplified here? Editor: It looks like he is carrying a giant book... Could it suggest a weariness with intellectualism or institutions, maybe even with established authority? Curator: A powerful reading! Considering Storm Petersen's context – Danish artist working during wartime – challenging authority becomes a very compelling theme. Editor: I never would have looked at a simple pen drawing and thought about social or political commentary, let alone considered it to be anti-establishment. Curator: Exactly. Context allows us to understand art beyond face value and situate artworks within intersectional narratives of identity, gender, race and politics. And through this, we can reveal more.