Portræt af jomfrue Broe. 1842

Editor: This is "Portræt af jomfrue Broe," a pencil drawing from 1842 by P.C. Skovgaard. It’s…well, it’s a portrait. Quite detailed, really, for just a pencil drawing. There's a seriousness to her face. What catches your eye about it? Curator: Oh, there’s a delicate grace in Skovgaard’s hand, isn't there? It reminds me of sunlight filtering through lace. What I see here is Skovgaard, known primarily for landscapes, trying his hand at capturing the interior landscape of a person. The way he uses light and shadow around her face – do you notice how it almost feels…searching? Almost as if he's attempting to see beyond the surface. He typically paints open fields; here, he's working in a far more confined space. Does that make sense? Editor: Absolutely. That searching quality really comes through now that you mention it. Do you think the restrictions of a portrait, compared to his landscapes, changed his style here? Curator: I think so! In landscapes, he has the freedom to roam; here, he’s tethered to a specific person. But even in that confinement, he's finding the poetry. It makes me think about how our perceived limitations can sometimes force us to be more creative. It's in the delicate cross-hatching of the shadows. This could be seen as merely a record, a sketch, but I see more, don’t you think? Editor: Definitely. I was too focused on the literal representation at first. I see the poetry now. Curator: And that's the trick, isn’t it? Looking closer, always closer, past the "what" and into the "why."