Skitse af jolle og omrids af fisk 1905 - 1907

Curator: This drawing by Niels Larsen Stevns, tentatively titled "Skitse af jolle og omrids af fisk," or "Sketch of a skiff and outline of fish," was created sometime between 1905 and 1907, utilizing pencil on paper. What catches your eye first? Editor: The sheer rawness of it! The frantic energy captured by the pencil lines—the artist wasn't aiming for perfection, but rather to capture something fleeting. The very thinness of the paper also signals the disposable function of this sketch. Curator: Precisely! I find it revealing that the work seems almost unfinished. It hints at a search for form, the artist wrestling with both subject matter and perspective, almost like an initial ideation or a palimpsest with images superimposed. Note the prominent location of the boat and the very ghostly suggestion of fish... perhaps there is some intent here. Editor: I wonder about the materiality, the kind of pencil he used. Was it readily available, perhaps mass-produced? Was the paper the cheapest available? It seems crucial to understanding the purpose of such a quick and direct representation. The social status of drawing—its economy, both literally and figuratively—really jumps out. Curator: Interesting. Considering the cultural memory around fishing and boats in Danish coastal life, do you think these images, although sketched, represent fundamental pillars of the Danish experience and its continuity through centuries? There is the symbolism of provision, hard work, the dangers of the sea, as the skiff rides along the ocean current, represented by the lines which flow along with the waves as it navigates the marine environment? Editor: Perhaps. But I'm more interested in where he was drawing this. Was he outside on the beach, experiencing it firsthand, or perhaps relying on previous experiences. To me the context of the work’s production, more than any intentional symbolism, determines how we are supposed to feel when experiencing art in person at the Statens Museum for Kunst. Curator: A fair point! Even in its sketch form, this small image possesses a profound emotional core. Editor: Absolutely, and by acknowledging the hands that sketched and provided the materials of this sketch, it transforms into a captivating historical and social artifact.