Stående kvinde 1835 - 1838

Curator: This drawing, aptly titled "Stående kvinde" or "Standing Woman," comes to us from Christen Købke, dating roughly from 1835 to 1838. It's a pencil drawing held here at the SMK. It has an air of Romanticism but seems very Realist. Editor: My first impression is "reserved." She’s swathed in fabric, a small floral print on her dress; the mood feels quite contemplative and even a little wistful. There's this intriguing sketch of what appears to be just her arm. It's like the drawing has this quiet echo of its own process. Curator: Absolutely. What Købke gives us here is not just a portrait of a woman, but also a glimpse into the social fabric of the time. Considering 19th-century Danish society, the clothing, the very posture of this woman, speaks to societal expectations and the prescribed roles of women. Editor: It does feel deliberately unassuming, doesn’t it? I wonder what story her gaze would tell if it met mine. This isn't a celebration of wealth or status, more an echo of ordinary life, but one tinged with an intimate affection for the subject. Curator: Indeed. There's an intentional absence of dramatic flourish that lends authenticity, echoing Romanticism’s interest in elevating everyday life. This makes it more universal and very different from more official commissions of that time. Her clasped hands, the slightly averted gaze... they invite us to contemplate her inner world. Editor: It is precisely in these small gestures, these tiny details that Købke finds such resonant beauty. That makes it Realist and incredibly powerful. And that arm detail – almost floating, detached – there is a suggestion that reality is fragmented. Not unlike memory itself. Curator: In examining "Stående kvinde" it is essential to recognize the agency afforded to and, equally, constrained of, women, in the early nineteenth century, particularly within a cultural context steeped in specific aesthetic conventions. Editor: For me, this drawing whispers. About time, the ephemeral, and that beautiful dance between reality and our remembering of it.