Prøvetryk til Chr. Winthers A.B.C. 1863

Curator: What a delightfully quaint scene we have here. This is a trial proof, or "Prøvetryk," by H.P. Hansen for Christian Winther's ABC book, created in 1863. It's an ink drawing, a print, a preparatory sketch, really. The full title is “Prøvetryk til Chr. Winthers A.B.C.”. Editor: It looks incredibly casual. A small moment caught. The ink, so spare and somewhat raw, adds an immediacy. Are those workers or patrons enjoying the leisure of a hard-won drink, casually taking time and refreshment together after possibly toiling in the nearby hills in the background? Curator: It does capture a casual interaction quite adeptly through the interplay of horizontal and vertical lines. Consider the solid horizontal of the table against the men’s almost sloping, relaxed postures. The scene depicts men drinking. Hansen is, seemingly, illustrating daily life, infusing what seems mundane with narrative intrigue and, quite possibly, hints of Danish history, at least as Hansen understood and conceptualized it at that time. Editor: Absolutely. I find the details telling - note the use of the decorated table or stage as part of an artisan's livelihood that could be purposed for making or consuming—both of which provide means for living as an artist in Copenhagen in the mid-19th Century. Hansen might have intended this piece for wide consumption within a didactic ABC. I wonder, though, how that affects its status or use as 'art'. Is it merely labor for another artistic or commercial endeavor? What sort of material reality motivated and supported these men at labor and at rest? Curator: The contrast of materiality makes you consider levels of hierarchy too; Hansen could be commenting on labor, life and class structure via this seemingly simple composition. I can't ignore Hansen's compositional technique to deliver narrative and suggest the human condition. Editor: Perhaps the ABC’s lesson on labor or leisurely pursuits also has lessons for us about how the artwork came to be, about where Hansen stood concerning consumption and artistic freedom or, more cynically, commodification. Curator: A fascinating glimpse, isn’t it? This trial print resonates so much with semiotic potential beyond mere historical observation. Editor: Yes, and understanding its labor and mode of material production expands its meaning in unexpectedly richer ways.