Studie af "et fiskeriselskabs fane". Farveangivelser og notater 1930 - 1936

Curator: We're looking at a sketch by Niels Larsen Stevns titled "Studie af 'et fiskeriselskabs fane'. Farveangivelser og notater," created between 1930 and 1936. It’s a study for a fishing company banner, rendered in pencil and colored pencil on paper. Editor: It feels sparse, like a blueprint rather than a finished piece. The almost scientific quality of the draftsmanship combined with the subject of the fishing company makes me think of the workers and their labor and struggles. Curator: Absolutely. The sketch offers insight into Stevns' design process. Note the materiality; it's not grand oil on canvas, but a humble drawing on paper, showing the foundation upon which the finished banner would have been produced. The annotations scattered throughout give an interesting dimension to the work; it allows us to track his decisions about the composition and coloration. Editor: The societal context here is intriguing. The presence of annotations gives us an intimate view into the banner-making, its symbolic representation for a collective of fishermen; you can't ignore questions about class, labor rights, and the iconography surrounding these maritime workers. The choice of sea creatures represented -- two kinds of fish, and possibly an eel -- likely hold cultural significance beyond simple decoration. The fishing company may have held some beliefs to certain maritime cultural lore that can give a better idea as to what is represented on the banner. Curator: Precisely, these details point toward a more collaborative, communal artistic effort rather than a single artist working in isolation, and also provide a lens to what elements and details were held valuable when it came to the process. The work also gives you a glance at not only an artistic creation, but a study, an image born from practice. Editor: I also note that one of the numbers within the sketches is marked 1818 while another shows the number 1828. The appearance of a number which refers to a historical date provides us with historical context which we may apply to not only the fishing industry within the period the sketch was produced but perhaps what historical implications the date holds within Danish maritime and fishing cultural context. Curator: Very interesting take, understanding all the layers helps with seeing the materiality differently as well, not just a humble draft but an early view on the creation and implications of an entire group of people's lives and beliefs, almost as a way of representing those groups themselves. Editor: It underlines how socially engaged Stevns was with representing different groups throughout Danish culture at that period.