Plantestudie 1930 - 1936

Curator: We are looking at "Plantestudie" a pencil drawing executed by Niels Larsen Stevns, between 1930 and 1936, held here at the SMK. Editor: The immediate impression is one of fragility. A single, slender stem gives rise to an almost chaotic burst of foliage, sketched with such lightness it feels ephemeral. Curator: Indeed, but note how the seemingly simple subject speaks to Stevns’ larger artistic project. He returned again and again to studies of nature. Considering the social and economic context of the interwar years in Denmark, this intense focus on the natural world becomes almost a radical act. Escaping the noise of a quickly modernizing world by representing simpler things. Editor: Perhaps. Though the "noise" to which you refer is far removed from the precision and elegance I observe in the overall composition. The contrast of the thick, vertical line with the delicately looping upper region gives the drawing its underlying energy. Curator: That contrast to me reflects tension between the artist and his subject matter, questioning, if he's portraying nature as comforting and beautiful, or just portraying it. Was he perhaps looking to establish a new, truly Danish approach to art outside established notions? Editor: While you focus on external and societal questions, I’m drawn back to the internal structures. Look at the way the leaves and petals are composed: almost geometrical figures held in contrast by a dynamic composition. I notice semiotic implications too. Is it that geometric rigidity you’re questioning? Curator: Potentially. As such a study I can consider it from a lens outside just aesthetics, though I am sure we can appreciate both the geometry, and what else it might signify. Thank you. Editor: My pleasure, though I think it is important to consider that the value isn't always about symbolic tension. I've appreciated observing this work today.