Thorvaldsens venstre hånd. Skitse til "Engen ved Nysø" 1930 - 1936

Curator: Thorvaldsens venstre hånd. Skitse til "Engen ved Nysø" is the full title – a pencil drawing on paper by Niels Larsen Stevns, created between 1930 and 1936. The artist is giving us a peek behind the scenes in this study of a sculpture; it is so raw, it almost feels as if we were looking over Stevns’s shoulder while he was sketching! What stands out to you? Editor: The hand, the focus on materiality, even though it’s a sketch on paper… it really makes me think about process. Is the roughness on purpose, maybe emphasizing labor over traditional "high art"? Curator: Exactly! And consider the date: 1930s. This wasn’t simply about capturing likeness. It's engaging with the legacy of Thorvaldsen and challenging it. How might the societal view of sculpture, and the labor involved in creating it, have been shifting during this period? What implications could this drawing have on concepts such as 'value' and artistic status? Editor: So, it’s not just about the image of the hand, but also about making us question what it *means* to make art, what constitutes sculpture, what labour means to art-making… Curator: Precisely. And, stepping back, isn't the artist also showing us his *own* hand, his choices, his labor in producing *this* study? Where does Thorvaldsen’s work begin and Stevns' work end? Editor: Wow, I never thought of it that way! It’s almost like he is imprinting labour upon labour, in an age which values different things, almost questioning the entire basis of art itself. Curator: And challenging the distinction between 'high' art, like sculpture, and 'low' art, like drawing – a method to explore and understand process. A very deliberate act of highlighting material and means. Editor: This has changed how I will look at drawings. Thanks for illuminating the meaning embedded within it! Curator: Indeed; every deliberate decision holds meaning. A fresh perspective on production will offer rewarding results!