Adresse 1896

Editor: Here we have "Adresse," a drawing by Niels Larsen Stevns, from 1896, rendered in ink and possibly colored pencil on paper. Initially, it just looks like an empty page. What am I missing? How should we approach understanding this "Adresse"? Curator: Focus on the materiality. Consider the labor involved in producing the paper, grinding the ink, the social context of readily available but potentially costly materials at this time. Is this the artist signalling the work involved in making art or something else? Editor: Hmm, so rather than looking for a hidden image, we think about what paper, ink, and even the act of address – of marking or designating space – meant? Curator: Precisely. Consider, for example, that the “Adresse” implies both destination and physical handling, what if it’s an artistic address in the literal postal sense, think about labor. What kinds of marks, staining, etc. do we see, how were they made, and how can that make us think of art outside of traditional notions of the ‘masterpiece’ ? Editor: I do see those smudges, what seem to be notes on the side, it feels much more tactile and about work than a pristine drawing. Maybe Stevns is hinting at the everyday effort behind finished art? Curator: Or even challenging the very definition of “finished.” Is this about an intentional act of creation or something else entirely? What work does it do, and for whom? Editor: It's certainly made me reconsider what constitutes "art" in the first place. Curator: Yes! And understanding it depends as much on these materials and means of productions as on an understanding of fine art!