Prøveplade: Brudstykke af "de dårlige jomfruer" 1901

Editor: So, this is "Prøveplade: Brudstykke af 'de dårlige jomfruer'," a 1901 etching by Frans Schwartz, currently held at the SMK. There's something melancholic about it, a kind of weariness in their gaze. What jumps out at you when you look at it? Curator: Ah, yes, weariness indeed. I see souls heavy with unspoken stories. Look at the etched lines, so delicate yet they carve out such a sense of burden. It reminds me of the quiet corners of a heart, the bits we don't readily show. It is, after all, a fragment—what stories might reside in the portions left unseen, cut off? Editor: That’s a beautiful way to put it. I hadn’t considered the “fragment” aspect so deeply. Do you think the title, "The Foolish Virgins," plays into that sense of burden or perhaps of lost opportunity? Curator: Absolutely. Schwartz is playing with biblical imagery, turning the parable on its head. These aren't idealized virgins awaiting their bridegroom. Instead, we see them after the fact—post-revelation—languishing. Imagine the weight of that realization. You are foolish. A mistake has occurred that changed your entire world. I wonder, what modern-day feeling is most comparable? Editor: Maybe a profound disappointment after working very hard for something... only to be completely let down by that same opportunity or experience? Curator: Exactly. Art is an incredible language, isn’t it? Always ripe for new translation as it relates to how we exist as people and feelers in our respective present moments. This "fragment" has managed to transcend eras, and the title provides historical insight into the context of that initial feeling. Editor: I'll definitely look at etchings differently now, especially how titles can drastically shape the perception of an image. Curator: Excellent! Keep digging, keep feeling—that's where the true treasures lie!