Skulpturudkast 1731 - 1802

Editor: So, this is *Skulpturudkast*, a drawing by Johannes Wiedewelt, sometime between 1731 and 1802. It's a pencil and pen sketch for a sculpture, currently residing at the SMK. There's almost a ghostly feel to it because the lines are so light. What jumps out at you? Curator: A sketch! A whisper of an idea! For me, it’s like catching the artist in a moment of pure thought. Wiedewelt is reaching back to the ideals of Neoclassicism, but already, even in this faint form, it feels... different. Do you notice how the figures aren't quite idealized? There’s a vulnerability, a humanness that peeks through. Is it a study of family or sacrifice? What do you imagine the final sculpture might have conveyed? Editor: That's interesting! I initially thought it was strictly historical, all Roman virtue, and very cold. I hadn’t really picked up on that vulnerability. What makes you say it feels different than other Neoclassical art? Curator: The touch. It is the imperfection of the line! Other neoclassical works are all very smoothed and polished. Here you get to see the thinking! This immediacy gives it emotional power. A sculpture made from stone would be, of necessity, "perfect," but here, we find intimacy with something raw! Editor: So the "imperfection" becomes the emotion, almost. Like, instead of the heroic, polished figure, we see someone grappling with the idea of heroism, if that makes sense. Curator: Precisely! It dances on the edge of something new, doesn’t it? Editor: It does! Thanks for pointing that out! Now I see something much more personal, in this “first draft”. I think I see the value of sketches a lot more, now! Curator: Excellent. Sketches provide the glimpse before something gets polished! Never forget that!