Georgia Skovgaard siddende ved et bord 1907

Joakim Skovgaard captured this intimate moment of his daughter Georgia at a table in a drawing with hints of color. The pose, with the figure turning back to meet the viewer's gaze, has roots stretching back to antiquity, echoing in the Renaissance with the Mannerist style of the figura serpentinata. Her look over the shoulder carries an emotional weight, evoking both vulnerability and self-awareness. It calls to mind similar poses in paintings of nymphs and goddesses, where the backward glance suggests a fleeting, elusive quality. This gesture taps into our collective memory, where the act of turning back becomes a symbol of contemplation and the passage of time. Like the ouroboros, the snake eating its tail, the cycle of looking back is a way of reflecting, transforming, and renewing our connection to the past. The pose and gaze here transcend the personal, touching something ancient within us.