Spilleklub 1864 - 1944

Curator: Ah, this drawing pulls you right in. The tension around the card table is palpable. Editor: Yes, a rather subdued atmosphere, don't you think? It gives an impression of hushed intensity, despite the rather bourgeois setting. Curator: We are looking at “Spilleklub” by Henrik Arnold Hamilkar Sørensen. Dating from the period 1864-1944, this piece, held here at the SMK, is executed using pen and engraving, with an additional printed element. There's something fascinating about how images of leisure, like card games, so often become vehicles for exploring more complex human relationships. Think of similar themes depicted by Caravaggio, or even Cezanne. Editor: Absolutely. One could argue this drawing engages in a commentary about class, about the perceived virtues and vices of leisure among the upper classes, but it's the body language I find telling. Each man is locked into his own mental space even as they gather as a social body, focused on the drama of the card game in hand. It captures a transitional time when genre painting held on, depicting a realistic moment, but modernism was also starting to push art to depict moments more psychologically fraught. Curator: The composition is interesting. The almost performative elegance of their dress— those carefully knotted bow ties and smart jackets, suggesting a uniform for the game that gives status— juxtaposes with their complete immersion in gambling. The engraving medium itself has associations of formality, of historical record, so it's interesting how Sørensen applies that here. Editor: True, the work offers a rather unvarnished commentary about societal preoccupations, rendered with an aesthetic detachment which further sharpens that observation. Curator: The pen and ink lend a crispness, a precision that invites close observation. Editor: It offers a fascinating glimpse into a specific social circle and their rituals. These intimate snapshots reveal far more than posed portraits ever could, no? Curator: Indeed. There’s a stillness that draws you into their world. Editor: The composition, although traditional, manages to spark thought. A quiet contemplation of what underlies appearances.