Liggende nøgen kvinde, hovedet mod højre 1943 - 1946

Editor: This is Vilhelm Lundstrom's "Liggende nøgen kvinde, hovedet mod højre," created between 1943 and 1946 using pencil. It's currently held at the SMK. There's something almost brutally simplified about the form; it feels like a commentary. What do you see in this piece? Curator: I see a rejection of idealized beauty standards that have historically dominated the depiction of the female nude. Lundstrom is working during and after the Second World War; do you think this might contribute to his approach? Editor: Definitely, there's an element of realism that avoids romanticizing the body. A sense of vulnerability, maybe? Curator: Precisely. Consider how the artist uses line and shadow. There are sharp angles where one might expect curves. And, in the 1940s, feminist philosophers like Simone de Beauvoir were beginning to critique the objectification of women. Can we read this work as part of a broader conversation about female identity? Editor: It challenges the viewer. Instead of passive consumption, it demands confrontation with the realities of the body. It almost makes me uncomfortable in how much I see it representing our times now! Curator: I agree. The artist is pushing us to consider not just what we see, but how we see and what we expect to see. Are we prepared to acknowledge the multifaceted nature of female representation in art and society? Editor: So, the work acts as a kind of mirror, reflecting back at us our own preconceptions and biases? Curator: Exactly. It invites a critical examination of how we construct and perpetuate gendered narratives. Editor: It really brings into focus how much history shapes our perspectives on even seemingly simple drawings like this. Thank you! Curator: Indeed. The beauty of art lies in its ability to provoke such important dialogues.