Udkast til Poul S. Christiansens gravmæle. Studie af fugl, formentlig efter forlæg. 1932 - 1935

Curator: Niels Larsen Stevns created this intriguing study between 1932 and 1935, titled "Udkast til Poul S. Christiansens gravmæle. Studie af fugl, formentlig efter forlæg" which translates to "Draft for Poul S. Christiansens gravestone. Study of bird, presumably after a model." It’s a pencil drawing currently held at the SMK, Statens Museum for Kunst. Editor: My first impression is one of subdued solemnity. The sketched lines create a sense of ethereality, especially with that central, almost heraldic, bird figure. It feels quite fragile, almost as though the drawing itself is a memory. Curator: I agree about the fragility, and I think that’s emphasised by the medium. The directness of pencil on paper really showcases the artist's hand – we can almost trace the physical act of Stevns creating this study. It allows us to understand not just the finished form he’s aiming for, but the labor and thought that are physically made in making it. Editor: Exactly, and that material connection really emphasizes the themes here – mortality, remembrance, and even legacy. The bird, maybe an eagle symbolizing power, but drawn so delicately, suggests the transient nature of even the most enduring symbols. Consider, too, how the drawing was meant for a gravestone. Whose voices are remembered through the labor, and by whose hand is that memorial shaped? Curator: And let’s think more concretely about Stevns’ own hand. A skilled draughtsman no doubt. Note how lightly he renders the suggestion of what looks like someone in deep reflection underneath the bird; the pencil usage there seems almost economical in how it suggests mass with so little line work. That reflects an understanding of how forms take shape not only in material ways, but exist even where material isn't even fully committed. Editor: Right – the lack of completion amplifies the themes. The unrefined state underscores a tension between a permanent marker of remembrance—the gravestone itself—and how our understanding and perception of individuals is constantly being renegotiated across historical, social, and political landscapes. So, there is both something timeless and of-the-moment represented here. Curator: Absolutely. Looking at it now, the bareness really accentuates its profound emotional depth. It gives that bird such a striking character, doesn't it? Editor: It certainly does. The drawing creates an incredible dialogue between grief, memory, and how we represent those we've lost, both in stone and in more fleeting ways.