Hesten Velskabt 1822

Curator: Standing before us is "Hesten Velskabt," or "Well-Shaped Horse," created by Christian David Gebauer in 1822. This lovely lithograph, a blend of drawing and printmaking, resides here at the SMK, Statens Museum for Kunst. What strikes you first? Editor: Well, apart from the obvious elegance of the beast, the framing… it feels stagey, like the horse is posing against a very minimal backdrop, as if in a studio. Very deliberate and considered in its portrayal of form and musculature. Curator: Exactly! It's not just a horse; it's an ideal. Gebauer captures this Romantic fascination with nature, elevated and somewhat abstracted. It is an equestrian portrait of, probably, a beloved horse; a status symbol depicted as noble. I am so curious if the actual animal possessed these godlike attributes! Editor: The color choices certainly aid this sense of Romantic grandeur, yes. The deep brown coat against that misty landscape palette contributes to the animal’s statuesque quality and formal perfection, don't you agree? He strikes an elegant pose on what resembles a theatre stage. It's a very structured, almost diagrammatic approach. And you could say it is Gebauer’s own emotional projection upon a figure within an external, idealised landscape. Curator: Ah, "diagrammatic" is an insightful way to put it! And there’s a sensitivity in the subtle gradations of the watercolour, lending it a very evocative tone, despite the apparent precision of form. This artwork speaks to how one seeks to perceive that which makes us happy in reality. Is this reality, or our own vision? The lithograph seems to straddle both beautifully. Editor: The piece highlights the ongoing dialogue between the ideal and the real— between constructed form and felt experience. This tension, it seems, keeps it visually alive even after two centuries. A beautiful horse portrait! Curator: Precisely. A lasting depiction that urges us to ponder on art and how it acts as an intimate window to another’s perception, no matter how old. Thanks for offering such acute perspective on this gem, too!