Den slagne Niels Klim kryber ind i hulen 1786 - 1788

Curator: Stepping into the curious world of J.F. Clemens, we have here an etching, a print dating from 1786-1788 called "Den slagne Niels Klim kryber ind i hulen." You can find it in the collection of the SMK, the National Gallery of Denmark. The battered Niels Klim crawls into the cave... What springs to your mind? Editor: Well, I see stark light and shadow, the near claustrophobia of that looming cave entrance. The poor fellow seems pretty desperate, more of an animal than a man. Is that an animal he's meeting in that darkness? There's something intensely vulnerable about his pose. Curator: Precisely. It is indeed inspired by a story; namely, Ludvig Holberg’s satirical novel "Niels Klim’s Underground Travels." Klim tumbles into a subterranean world and has a series of picaresque adventures. Clemens has captured Klim after a particularly unpleasant experience. He’s trying to find shelter, refuge in the depths of the earth. And yes, that creature is one he would have met on his travels, now a source of warmth as much as alarm. Editor: There’s something intriguing about the rendering of the rock face too, all those precise lines. Almost like looking into the strata of his own psyche, you know? Layers of experience and history... And that light, it’s not forgiving, is it? Curator: No. Clemens' meticulous hatching accentuates every contour, every little stumble and fear. There is almost no hope depicted in his world. It highlights the stark realities of the narrative. Etching, by its very nature, is suited to this almost surgical precision of emotion. Do you not agree? Editor: Yes, definitely. Etching offers the artist total control of their line—there’s no expressive impasto, no blurred sfumato to hide behind. He renders both Klim’s raw humanity, and his insignificance relative to nature itself. This Klim... is the real deal, in the cave of all our lives. Curator: Very much so. I would agree that in its close visual and conceptual detail, J.F. Clemens really makes one consider both Klim's personal journey, as well as his relation to greater social narratives that still resonate now. Editor: Right. And for me, personally, it’s a lesson that the most affecting art can use formal starkness and contrast to reveal our hidden truths.