Skitse af en slæde 1883

Editor: This is "Skitse af en slæde," or "Sketch of a Sledge," made with graphite, pencil and coloured pencil on paper, created by Lars Møller in 1883. It seems to depict a landscape with a body of water. There is also a drawing of what seems like a sledge. The scene gives me a feeling of solitude. How do you interpret this work? Curator: Focusing on the formal qualities, the division of the sketchbook into two distinct panels is intriguing. On the right, the landscape unfolds with muted tones, primarily achieved through graphite and perhaps lightly touched by coloured pencil. The mountains in the distance are softly rendered, creating a sense of depth, though somewhat hazy. The flatness of the body of water contrasts the depth in the mountainous forms. On the left panel, a more direct and utilitarian sketch of the sledge. The artist seems focused on shape, using graphite to clearly and effectively deliver form. What compositional relationship, if any, do you notice between the two panels? Editor: That's a really interesting way to read the diptych structure, I didn't immediately consider it that way! I guess they both seem kind of desolate. While one has natural grandeur and a sense of openness, the other has...a sledge! It does have a bleak functionality to it that feels romantic somehow. I like the texture as well. It gives the viewer access to an artist's private reflection in an open state of searching and refining the forms of the elements. Curator: Yes, you've astutely picked up on this interesting tension. I agree, and to my eye the artist seems interested in how the relationship between landscape and utilitarian subject matter communicate solitude and space. I wonder how the lack of colour communicates more powerfully than colour itself might? Editor: Good point! Thinking about it now, that absence adds a level of starkness to the romantic tone, emphasizing a lonely landscape and forlorn tool. I really appreciate that the medium supports that feeling. Curator: I’m glad you were able to notice how line and tone come together to express not only a form, but a mood, it might even prompt an emotional response. Editor: Absolutely, I am happy to notice new depths here, I now look forward to looking at more sketches like these and consider all that they tell the viewer!