Tidstavle over H.C. Andersens liv 1875-1867 1930 - 1938

Curator: This is "Tidstavle over H.C. Andersens liv 1875-1867," a drawing from 1930-1938 by Niels Larsen Stevns, held at the SMK. The artwork seems to consist of notes in ink and coloured pencil on paper. Editor: It reminds me of a journal. The handwriting is quite lovely. How do you interpret this work, beyond just seeing it as a historical document? Curator: The work is deeply enmeshed within social and cultural contexts surrounding biographical representation. This "time chart" becomes an exploration of identity through lived experience and travel. Do you notice how text and spatial arrangement intersect? The linearity usually expected in timelines seems almost... disrupted. Editor: I see what you mean. It isn’t just a straightforward record. The placement of events feels more intuitive, perhaps mirroring the way memory works. Is it about how Andersen *felt* about his life? Curator: Exactly. Stevns isn't simply cataloguing events, but suggesting that a life, especially a creative one, cannot be confined by a rigid timeline. The layering, the calligraphic style – it all hints at the subjective and often chaotic process of constructing a narrative, of defining self. Editor: So, in a way, Stevns is engaging with how societal narratives shape and sometimes limit individual expression, using Andersen’s life as a case study. Curator: Precisely. It prompts us to consider who gets to write history and whose stories get told and how. The artwork questions what constitutes an authentic representation of a life. Editor: I never thought about it that way. Seeing this piece in terms of identity and narrative changes everything. Thanks! Curator: And thank you, for providing that fresh perspective! It really opens the piece up in new directions.