Notater samt stiliseret rids af et lille hoved 1913 - 1914

Curator: Here we have a work by J.A. Jerichau II, "Notater samt stiliseret rids af et lille hoved", made circa 1913-1914. It's a drawing done with pen and ink on paper. Editor: My first impression is…intimate. Like peering into a private thought process. The delicate, almost fragile linework adds to that sense of vulnerability. It also gives the feeling of trying to write a coherent statement, then adding doodles to represent that very abstract thought that escapes expression. Curator: That's an astute observation. What we're seeing here isn't just a sketch; it's a glimpse into Jerichau’s inner world. Note how the text and image coexist. It indicates Jerichau believed that text and image were meant to coincide or complement. The scrawled, almost frantic, handwriting suggests an urgency, a need to capture fleeting ideas. What stands out for me is the little head itself. The abstraction of a face reduced to just a few lines of ink Editor: Yes, that simplified head—it almost feels like a sign, a marker. A symbol of…perhaps pure thought, or even the idealized self. It serves almost as an emotional key of sorts. Without that lone little drawing, the document would purely act as a historical artifact to the writer’s history rather than an emotional or mental symbol. Curator: Precisely. The portrait itself holds echoes of classical ideals but filtered through a modernist lens. There is that inherent dichotomy. Note that the drawing does not hold as much prominence as a part of a bigger symbolic message from Jerichau's handwritten script. So rather than standing alone as a portrait of identity, it complements it. Editor: Interesting. The drawing is not perfect either. The imperfect shapes further highlight that abstract meaning to me. In any case, it's fascinating how much can be communicated with so little, how just a few lines of text and ink become such an intimate mirror of artistic thought. Curator: Indeed. It serves as a reminder of the hidden worlds contained within even the simplest of sketches. This shows us what the essence of thought might look like, for our visual minds.