Loth og hans døtre 1743 - 1809

Nicolai Abildgaard made this drawing, "Lot and his Daughters," using pen and brown ink, with touches of red chalk, on paper. The rapid lines and minimal shading suggest it was a preliminary sketch, a quick working-out of an idea. Abildgaard was interested in the expressive potential of the human body, and here, he renders flesh with just a few strokes. Look closely at the lines; they aren't simply descriptive. They convey a sense of volume and weight. Even in a sketch like this, he is thinking about form in sculptural terms. You can almost imagine the scene as a three-dimensional tableau. The economy of the drawing reflects a wider artistic culture. During the late 18th century, artists were increasingly interested in directness and simplicity. The sketch, as a seemingly unmediated expression of artistic thought, became a valuable aesthetic in itself. So, while this drawing may have been a means to an end for Abildgaard, today we can appreciate it as a finished work. By understanding the making, we get closer to the meaning.