"Udenfor Roms Mure" 1899

Curator: Looking at this quick drawing, I’m immediately struck by its stormy moodiness. Is that ink on paper? Editor: Yes, indeed. What you are observing is "Udenfor Roms Mure," or "Outside the Walls of Rome," a work from 1899 by Peter Hansen currently housed at the SMK. The artwork employs both ink and drawing as its medium on paper. Curator: It's incredible what he captures with such simple lines! The way he suggests form and texture just with hatching... almost impressionistic, right? That sky is a real masterpiece of economical mark-making. Editor: I agree. The marks are quite evocative! Stylistically, one may interpret it as Impressionistic for that very reason: its suggestive qualities! Yet in this observational depiction, there seems to be a focus on documenting a tangible spatiality beyond merely sensory perception. And what can you say about that steeple off in the distance? Curator: The steeple creates a visual anchor. The composition keeps circling back. I'm intrigued by those bare trees in the foreground though. They seem to frame the city in a way, inviting us into the scene. Like sentinels, or… I don't know, maybe even a kind of melancholic welcoming party. Editor: "Melancholic welcoming party"... I think I can work with that. I, however, read them as somewhat bleak! But, I love how plein-air painting can infuse even a simple city sketch with such energy. You can almost feel the breeze. Do you feel anything beyond this initial take? Curator: I keep circling back to that sky. Those clouds feel heavy with rain. Overall it's a rather successful exercise in visual semiotics. And there’s an undercurrent, isn't there, a sense of being outside looking in—the title makes that plain as day. "Udenfor Roms Mure"...Outside Rome’s Walls, that boundary becomes literal and metaphoric, the experience of exclusion… fascinating. Editor: Peter Hansen certainly encapsulates that feeling in what appears to be just a fleeting, momentary capture, doesn't he? Curator: Absolutely. It’s the artist's gift – and our responsibility – to decode these layers of meaning. Thanks for pointing out all these great things about the work! Editor: Likewise! It's been an absolute delight analyzing this observational piece of Peter Hansen's practice alongside you today.