Kystlandskab 1883

Curator: Let's take a look at Lars Møller's "Kystlandskab," a coastal landscape from 1883 currently held in the SMK. The work uses watercolour and coloured pencil. Editor: Hmm, initially it feels…quiet, you know? A bit muted, like a memory half-recalled. I notice the aged paper and this gentle, almost hazy light, giving it such an intimate, dreamlike quality. Curator: Møller was likely working en plein air. Considering the texture of the paper and visible watercolor bleeds, it indicates a quick, responsive study, right? A direct engagement with the physical environment, where materials are readily accessible. Editor: Absolutely, you get that sense of immediacy! I imagine Møller, sketchbook in hand, capturing a fleeting moment, fighting against the changing light and the wind. It has this unfinished vibe, as if inviting us to complete the landscape in our imagination. Curator: Notice the relationship between "high" art and accessible materials, which might challenge art world orthodoxies. Møller's decision to record landscape via drawing and watercolour demonstrates an interesting exchange. The labour, materiality, the sketchbook itself -- all become evidence. Editor: That's an interesting take. To me it all comes down to personal feeling. When I see how he has captured the feeling of the cold, northern light – just barely suggesting forms. What the colours suggest not what they objectively define. A dialogue with a world. Curator: Indeed, and viewing it through that intimate exchange, where materials and technique mediate perception… it’s fascinating to consider that aspect, too. The sketchbook hints at the ready availability of resources, and perhaps an exploration into artistic labour within impressionism. Editor: So well put! For me I return to feeling here - thinking of sketchbooks I've filled by the coast. I think viewers connect directly to the intimate human gesture, a delicate and enduring quietness that sings even across time.