Det første segl brydes, Den første rytter 1933 - 1934

Curator: What grabs me first is this chaotic energy. It feels raw, like a fever dream captured with frantic lines. Editor: Indeed. We are looking at a piece by Niels Larsen Stevns titled "Det første segl brydes, Den første rytter", or "The First Seal is Broken, The First Rider". It's an ink and charcoal drawing on paper, created between 1933 and 1934. Stevns was deeply engaged in religious and allegorical themes throughout his career. Curator: Allegorical is right. That skeletal horse—or maybe it’s just a horse reduced to its barest essence? And the rider, poised to strike... It evokes a sense of impending doom, the first crack in the foundation. Though it appears a rather unassuming sketch on what seems to be a page torn from a sketchbook. Editor: Precisely. Stevns conceived of this sketch, along with many others, in preparation for large scale fresco paintings. The linear grid provides an unusual structure. Also, considering its time period, created between the wars, we must recognize that anxiety was certainly permeating European societies, influencing how such themes would have resonated. Curator: It's that grid that gets me thinking. On the one hand it's the sketchpad. But maybe there is a desire to impose order onto the chaos that will, inevitably, fail? Look at the wild scribbles at the bottom. They are being penned inside little boxes, numbered sequentially. Like an attempt to tame a force far greater. Editor: Absolutely. We see him grappling with themes of apocalypse and divine judgment in a rapidly changing world. There's a tension here, both artistic and historical. And the loose strokes communicate such a visceral effect in an inexpensive medium! Curator: Well, it certainly isn't soothing! Makes you wonder what Stevns saw coming down the pike. Something wicked, that's for sure. It makes you grateful, perhaps, for more comfortable days. Editor: Right you are! The mark of art that truly resonates across time is its ability to elicit deep emotions and fresh inquiries. This certainly achieves that.