Lille dreng 1860

Editor: Here we have "Lille dreng," or "Little Boy," a marble sculpture created by August Saabye in 1860. It's currently housed at the SMK in Copenhagen. My initial impression is... well, the lack of pupils gives him a kind of unsettling yet innocent air. What catches your eye about this piece? Curator: Unsettling innocence... I love that! It reminds me of how we often try to capture idealized versions of ourselves or our loved ones, especially children. This little cherub, though, feels like a peek behind the curtain of Victorian sentimentality. Notice how Saabye’s realism teases the line between idealized beauty and something almost…clinical. Editor: Clinical? I hadn't thought of that. It's the texture of the marble, perhaps? It seems quite rough in places. Curator: Exactly! The rough texture adds another layer. Marble, in its pure form, symbolizes perfection, immortality. But here, you see the artist's hand, the chisel marks. It suggests a deliberate choice to show the labor, the human element in crafting this "perfect" child. Doesn't that make you wonder what Saabye was really trying to say about childhood itself? Editor: It does. It’s almost as if he's questioning the whole concept of childhood innocence being this pristine, untouchable thing. Curator: Precisely! It’s a playful jab at Neoclassical ideals wrapped in Realist sensibilities, with a wink of Saabye's personal touch, of course. Almost mischievous, don't you think? Editor: Absolutely! It makes you rethink your initial assumptions. Thanks for pointing that out. Curator: My pleasure! Art, after all, is a conversation. It changes with every perspective, with every pair of eyes that sees it anew.