Skitser af køer. Udkast til monogram: SJ eller JS (Joakim Skovgaard) 1900 - 1905

Curator: Here we have "Skitser af køer," or "Sketches of Cows," attributed to Niels Larsen Stevns, dating from 1900 to 1905. It’s a pencil drawing on paper. Editor: The first thing that strikes me is its incompleteness. The lines are so tentative, searching almost. A fleeting moment captured, raw and unrefined. Curator: Indeed. Consider the socio-political climate of early 20th-century Denmark. Agricultural life was central to the nation's identity, but industrialization was looming. Works like these represent a society at a turning point, clinging to tradition while facing inevitable change. The rendering feels melancholic. Editor: I see those shifts in the symbol of the cow itself. It is so often depicted as the nurturing mother figure of a people. The sketch-like style here emphasizes fragility. Do you think there is also an inherent pagan element, connecting the image to ideas around sacrifice, abundance and power? Curator: Absolutely, the cow has long been imbued with symbolic weight across cultures. What’s interesting is how Stevns doesn't idealize it, like many artists before him. It’s more utilitarian. He is deconstructing the archetypical form of the beast and laying it bare on paper. Consider how this contrasts with depictions of the same subject in national romanticism... Editor: This unvarnished view reflects something fundamental about the nature of work, the lifeblood of the people who interacted with the animals depicted here. Stevns acknowledges their hard labour. But, yes, these types of images certainly stand in contrast with Golden Age paintings showing bountiful, thriving farming life and healthy animals. Curator: We can interpret this from an environmental lens, as well. It might comment on society's extraction from, or perhaps its relationship with, the land and nature as resources during this period. Editor: That also rings true, there is definitely a shift in emphasis, from symbolism to an anthropological, realist and almost brutal style, but with elegance. These animals feel very grounded. What I take away most of all from these "Sketches of Cows" is their authentic sense of quiet contemplation. It shows both beauty and simplicity.