Jeg har ikke noget at give dig... 1901

This small drawing called 'Jeg har ikke noget at give dig…,' was made by Fritz Syberg, and it's all about the scratchy lines. It’s like Syberg’s pen is thinking out loud, each stroke searching for the form. The whole thing feels like a memory, or maybe a dream. Look at the woman sitting on the bench. The hatching around her, it's like she’s trapped in her own head. But then, that watering can casually lying beside her hints at everyday life, the life of the garden, of simple things. Those marks are not precious, they’re like he is just working through something. There's a lot of cross-hatching, and I guess it makes the whole thing vibrate. It puts me in mind of Paula Modersohn-Becker, who was doing some very interesting things with mark-making and the figure. Ultimately the beauty of art is how it remains open, just like a conversation.