Ærkeenglen Mikaels kamp med dragen 1933 - 1934

Curator: Before us we have Niels Larsen Stevns’ sketch from 1933-34 entitled "\u00c6rkeenglen Mikaels kamp med dragen," or "Archangel Michael's Fight with the Dragon" made with ink and coloured pencil on paper. Editor: It has an urgency to it, doesn't it? A quickly rendered vision. The thick, swirling lines composing the dragon convey such chaotic energy, offset by the comparatively rigid geometry defining Michael's figure. Curator: The visible sketchbook paper, the ruled lines—they emphasize the work's origins in process. We are not viewing a finished object, but witnessing a moment of artistic exploration, an idea captured rapidly in material form. What labor went into sourcing and preparing the ink and pencils themselves, and then, what series of decisions culminated in the precise marks we see? Editor: And isn't that process inherently political? The archangel as a symbol has long been deployed as an emblem of righteous authority. By showing him battling the dragon, aren't we seeing a meditation on the eternal conflict between good and evil, framed, no doubt, by the interwar unease brewing across Europe as this was sketched? The social and historical context absolutely shape our understanding here. It makes one consider ideas surrounding good versus evil and authoritarian control. Curator: Yes, and that interplay becomes visible in the very application of the media! See how the dense layering of ink creates areas of near-black, while the colored pencil provides only a subtle hue? It suggests an engagement with materiality as meaning. Larsen Stevns wasn’t just representing a fight, but perhaps exploring the tangible tension inherent in opposing forces through the very act of drawing. It's fascinating how even these initial sketches showcase intentionality and a concern with materiality, defying any simple classification. Editor: Absolutely. And how those very tools—ink and pencil—became conduits for voicing cultural anxieties and questioning prevailing social dynamics. So much potent symbolism—violence, spiritual war— condensed within the seemingly simple act of a sketch. Curator: Considering this small study now, the relationship between the subject matter, the methods, and materials gives a fresh perspective on Larsen Stevns’ thought process. Editor: It speaks volumes, even in its unfinished state, doesn’t it?