Stående nøgen kvinde, set fra ryggen 1912

Editor: Here we have J.A. Jerichau's pencil drawing from 1912, titled *Standing Nude Woman, Seen From the Back.* It’s quite delicate; almost like a fleeting glimpse. What are your initial thoughts? Curator: Well, for me, this isn’t simply a representation of the female form. Look at the pencil strokes – the very *act* of drawing, the pressure, the erasures perhaps. It speaks to the labor involved. Consider the social context of 1912; this isn’t some idealized, romanticized nude. How do you think its creation challenges or reflects contemporary artistic conventions of its time? Editor: It does feel like a study, almost like the artist is figuring out the body as they go. Is it fair to say this drawing foregrounds the labor in making a piece? I was curious on the relationship between high art and the tradition of craft? Curator: Exactly. Notice how the pencil itself – a mass-produced tool, inherently connected to industry – mediates the image. Does this challenge conventional "high art"? Think about what constitutes art versus craft and how materiality intersects. By using a pencil drawing of the naked woman instead of, say, painting in oils. The nakedness references the materiality of human existence in itself as opposed to romantic portrayals, too. The subject of the figure references artistic conventions, whereas the medium references modern tools and industrial practices. How the pencil renders human sensuality changes our relationship to this artwork. Editor: That’s a really interesting point! So, by focusing on the material and process, we can understand the drawing as a dialogue between traditional artistic subjects and emerging industrial forces. Thank you for bringing the social aspect. Curator: Precisely. Analyzing materiality gives us deeper meanings beyond surface-level beauty, revealing social and artistic debates within the work.