Plantestudie 1906 - 1910

Editor: Here we have Niels Larsen Stevns’ “Plantestudie,” made sometime between 1906 and 1910, currently held at the Statens Museum for Kunst. It seems to be executed in pencil and watercolor on paper. I'm really struck by how immediate it feels, almost like a glimpse into the artist's working process. What are your thoughts on it? Curator: Well, I am particularly drawn to its materiality. We see the raw process so clearly - the pencil lines underneath, the way the watercolor sits on the page. Consider this as more than just a landscape. It is the product of Stevns' labor, capturing not just the appearance of nature but also his physical interaction with the materials. What was his purpose, his intentions when creating this study? Editor: That's fascinating. It makes me think about how the materials themselves might have influenced the final piece, how the absorbency of the paper, for example, affected the way he applied the watercolor. Do you see the use of watercolor here pushing against boundaries of art, since historically it has not been valued on par with other mediums like oil paint? Curator: Exactly! It makes us question the traditional hierarchies between ‘high art’ and craft. Consider the accessibility of these materials: paper, pencil, watercolors. They're not inherently precious like marble or oil paints, suggesting a democratisation of the art-making process. Are we looking at Stevns challenging the existing art consumption? Editor: I hadn't considered the aspect of democratisation before. It really reframes how I see the artwork, less as a finished piece and more as a record of a process. Thanks. Curator: Precisely. Examining art through a materialist lens helps reveal not just aesthetic qualities but also the complex social and economic conditions of its making. Food for thought, isn't it?