En stor slange er på vej op i sengen til en pige 1917

Joakim Skovgaard made this pencil drawing, "A large snake is making its way up into a girl's bed", at an unknown date. Skovgaard was working during a time of immense social change, with growing anxieties around gender roles and female sexuality. The image is striking: a young woman is lying in her bed, seemingly unaware of the massive snake slithering up towards her. The scene could be interpreted as a commentary on the vulnerability of women and the lurking dangers they face. The snake, a traditional symbol of temptation and evil, might represent the threats to female innocence and purity prevalent in the Victorian era. Skovgaard’s choice to depict this scene taps into deeply rooted fears and cultural narratives about women. What does it mean to see a woman in this moment of unawareness, a moment before a potential violation? How does this artwork shape our understanding of gender and power?