Kompositionsskitse, siddende figurer 1932 - 1935

Editor: This is Niels Larsen Stevns's "Kompositionsskitse, siddende figurer," a pencil drawing on paper from between 1932 and 1935. The geometric forms almost conceal figures, sitting, perhaps, but the loose, tentative lines make it feel more like an exploration of shape. How should we interpret this composition sketch, keeping in mind the social and cultural contexts? Curator: It’s fascinating to consider this within the larger artistic landscape of the 1930s. Modernism was in full swing, and abstraction offered a powerful means of expressing social anxieties and a changing world order. What political currents might have shaped Stevns’s move toward abstraction here, even in a preliminary sketch? Editor: That's interesting; so you're suggesting this drawing could be more than just an aesthetic experiment? Curator: Precisely. The rise of totalitarian regimes across Europe in the 30s instilled deep uncertainty. Abstraction offered artists an escape from prescribed representation, allowing them to express disillusionment, protest or explore new visual languages free from ideological constraints. How did institutions, like the SMK which holds this, grapple with exhibiting abstract art during this politically charged time? Editor: It makes me think about the role museums play in legitimizing certain styles. So, showcasing this, even as a "sketch", gave validation to modernist ideas, regardless of public opinion, perhaps? Curator: Exactly. Museums actively participated in shaping the narrative around modernism, either promoting it as progress or cautiously exhibiting it within defined parameters. Do you see how this particular sketch might have been viewed—radical, or simply an exercise? Editor: Thinking about it that way, seeing abstraction as a response to social unease… it makes me appreciate Stevns’ experimentation a bit more. It adds a layer of meaning. Curator: Agreed. Recognizing that artistic choices are never made in a vacuum allows us a richer engagement with works such as these. This little sketch becomes quite evocative, doesn’t it?