Tidstavle over H.C. Andersens liv 1866-1844 1930 - 1938

Curator: This is "Tidstavle over H.C. Andersens liv 1866-1844" created by Niels Larsen Stevns between 1930 and 1938. It’s a drawing rendered in colored pencil and ink on paper. Editor: The faint lines and the handwritten text give it the intimate feel of a personal journal, a collection of fragmented memories. Curator: Yes, and the materiality, particularly the aged paper, speaks volumes. The horizontal lines, perhaps guidelines for writing, create a subtle structure. See how they intersect with the more gestural quality of the drawing. Editor: There's something deeply evocative about handwriting itself, especially when chronicling a life. It's a very direct connection to the artist’s and perhaps even to Hans Christian Andersen's era. The names of cities—Paris, Cologne, Hamburg, Copenhagen—what do they signify? Are these significant places in his life? Curator: Precisely. And that is where an iconographic study opens doors. Stevns seems to be charting events using not only literal depiction but through textual and spatial relationships within the composition. We can read the movement through location across Andersen’s life. Editor: You get a sense of constant travel. A restless spirit? Curator: Potentially. Note the specific dates alongside the place names – "Aug 30 December..." The precision embedded there serves as both a historical record and, formally, offers points of pause, organizing what may at first appear scattered. Editor: It almost feels like a personal key, doesn’t it? We're presented with what appear to be notes, the locations being less significant on their own and far more suggestive when linked together. Curator: And it showcases, even within the intimate and informal presentation here, Stevns' incredible capability to integrate complex formal considerations. Editor: I think understanding the interplay of formal choices helps uncover potential threads of meaning in something that appears to be little more than a historical record. Curator: Agreed, seeing how the material presentation of facts can transform into deeply poetic territory offers a rich perspective to a drawing.