Siddende pige samt krop og det meste af benene af stående pige 1877 - 1879

Editor: This is Hans Smidth's "Siddende pige samt krop og det meste af benene af stående pige," a pencil drawing made between 1877 and 1879. There's a real sense of intimacy here, a peek into a private moment. The sketch-like quality feels unfinished, yet strangely complete. What catches your eye when you look at this piece? Curator: The incompleteness, you nailed it. It’s like Smidth captured a fleeting thought, not a posed portrait. Notice the contrast? The seated girl is almost fully rendered, her gaze distant, perhaps contemplative. The other, more of a ghost, an impression. The light pencil work gives them a delicate, almost ethereal quality, wouldn’t you say? I imagine the standing girl fading away… Tell me, what do you think they might be thinking? Editor: The seated girl seems lost in thought. Maybe a little sad? And the other girl, she’s just… there. Almost an afterthought. I find it interesting that the standing figure looks almost cropped out. It reminds me of Degas' ballet dancers; he cuts off ballerinas to give a different kind of viewpoint. Curator: Ah, Degas! That’s perceptive of you! Smidth shared that interest in capturing fleeting moments, everyday life… the impermanence of it all. Do you see any emotion in it, perhaps? Editor: Now that you mention it, yes, there is a very subdued feeling. It's fascinating how such simple lines can evoke such a feeling. Curator: Precisely. Art isn't always about grand pronouncements. Sometimes, the most profound statements are whispered. Think about it; a single pencil, a few lines, and we're drawn into the world of these two girls, feeling their presence, sharing their silence. Editor: I agree; I came in thinking it was an unfinished sketch, and now I feel that incompleteness adds another layer of intimacy.