Målenagivelser 1932 - 1935

Editor: Here we have Niels Larsen Stevns’s "Målenagivelser," a drawing in graphite on paper, made sometime between 1932 and 1935. Looking at the notes and geometric figures, it gives me the impression of something functional, like an architect’s sketch. What can you tell me about this piece? Curator: It’s interesting you see functionality, because that gets us closer to its sociohistorical meaning. These measurements are likely connected to Stevns's commission to decorate the Copenhagen University Library. Consider the modernist period in Scandinavia. Public art became a vehicle for expressing social values, scientific advancement, and national identity. Editor: So, the precision speaks to the values of that period? Curator: Exactly. This wasn't just art for art's sake; it was art deeply intertwined with social progress. These measurements, though seemingly abstract, speak to the immense planning, the almost utopian striving for perfection embedded within social democratic ideals. What do you make of the handwritten annotations scattered around? Editor: They seem like an intensely personal touch, contrasting with the overall rigidity of the measurements. Almost as if to acknowledge human agency. Curator: Precisely. It's that tension, that dialogue, which reveals the layered meanings embedded in a seemingly simple drawing. These individual annotations hint at the lived experiences and human labor behind the project. How can something functional also be so... intimate? Editor: I see that contrast much more clearly now – between objective measurement and subjective interpretation. It's a reminder of how much context shapes our understanding. Curator: Agreed. Examining these seemingly disparate elements invites us to consider art not in isolation, but as a reflection of societal values and individual experiences during that period. We also reveal art's intersectional position in history, technology and social activism.