En hest på græs 1892

Curator: Here we have Hans Christian Gether Caspersen's etching from 1892, titled "En hest på græs," which translates to "A Horse in the Grass." It’s currently part of the collection at the SMK, the National Gallery of Denmark. What are your first thoughts on this piece? Editor: Well, my initial feeling is one of quiet solitude. The horse is so self-contained in its grazing, seemingly oblivious to anything else. And it's a diminutive image nestled on this much larger sheet, emphasizing the intimate and possibly fragile nature of the scene. Curator: Precisely! The use of etching allows for incredibly fine lines, which contributes to the delicate feel. What do you think of the symbolism at play? Do horses have a significant cultural presence for you? Editor: Oh, absolutely! Horses have galloped through our collective consciousness for millennia! They represent freedom, power, and even a connection to a more natural, untamed state. Seeing one grazing quietly shifts those grand associations. In this artwork, it becomes almost a meditation on the everyday grace within this animal, stripped of any symbolic pomp. Curator: I like that – a 'meditation on everyday grace'. The lone windmill in the background also suggests the landscape's role—linking nature and humankind's interaction with it. How does the visual arrangement, that placement on the page affect your reading? Editor: That large surrounding border…it draws my eye inwards, concentrating the focus. The vast white space almost serves to isolate the subject, prompting a deeper examination of the horse and its quiet world. It speaks of a moment captured, a fleeting glimpse. And look how lightly the horse touches the earth, sketched using lines that imply, rather than assert the animal's presence. There’s an unassuming sort of presence at play. Curator: It does. Caspersen created a little world in this print. Perhaps something intensely personal or private, despite the somewhat realistic rendering, we have this clear feeling of line rather than fully-rendered representation. Any concluding thoughts? Editor: This horse grazing in the grass is now something of an icon for me; an encapsulation of serenity within simplicity, all these years later. It is something that resonates quietly yet powerfully. Curator: Yes, there is something so arresting and familiar about it, that stays with me now too.