Skagens Gren 1877

Editor: This etching, titled *Skagens Gren* from 1877, depicts a windswept seascape. I am really struck by how this artist captured so much motion, but at the same time there is this pervading sense of calmness. How do you read this image? Curator: Calmness amidst chaos - I love that! It is a tricky feat to pull off and, in a way, mirrors life itself, doesn't it? For me, the rhythmic repetition of the waves crashing is key. There is a musicality in how the artist repeats those forms and creates this hypnotic effect. What is interesting is how the artist captured Skagen in northern Denmark, at the intersection of two seas! They have to converge, of course, just as do thoughts within my own head. Does that image of confluence, collision of difference resonate for you too? Editor: Yes! I also notice a ship in the background and then there are birds, just faint specks in the sky. Almost like reminders of the world beyond the waves. Curator: Ah, see that little boat?! Good eyes! In the old days before digital navigation, ships followed these bird colonies! As we think about the work being made in the late 1870's - what are we sailing toward here as an artistic community? Also, if we think of ourselves as sailors searching for meaning - what constellations guide you? Editor: So fascinating, these subtle connections that tie all aspects of life. Thanks, this gives me a new appreciation for how much intention an artist brings to a piece! Curator: Likewise, your observation that the birds give way to another world - I didn't notice it so profoundly. And isn’t it beautiful when we start noticing our own awareness, being alive together?