Eremitagesletten 1870 - 1938

Editor: This charcoal drawing, “Eremitagesletten,” from between 1870 and 1938, currently residing at the SMK, has a sort of serene, almost somber quality to it. The monochrome palette gives it a timeless feel, like looking at a memory. What catches your eye when you look at it? Curator: The compelling aspect for me is the medium itself: charcoal on canvas. It collapses the perceived hierarchy between drawing, often seen as preparatory, and painting, which holds a position of greater cultural value. Karl Madsen, through his deliberate use of these materials, seems to question that hierarchy directly. How does the canvas texture affect your perception of the scene, compared to what you'd expect from, say, a photograph? Editor: That's a fascinating point about the material challenging hierarchies. The texture of the canvas showing through the charcoal creates a visual depth. I mean, I see this kind of layering differently than the flat surface of a photo – it emphasizes the act of creation, almost as labor. Curator: Exactly. And the layering invites questions about Madsen's process. Did he rework the image, adding and subtracting charcoal to achieve the final composition? These marks weren’t accidental, which asks the viewer to think more deliberately about their own relationship to both nature, as subject matter, and art as something produced. We’re not passive consumers; what relationship do we take? Editor: So, by emphasizing the making, he’s pushing us to consider the whole system of art and our place within it? Curator: Precisely. Think of it as Madsen exposing the gears of the artistic machine. Are there any other elements within that labor-relation, say, in other works, that invite conversation about social position of not only artist and consumer, but sitter? Editor: Wow, I never would have thought about it that way. Looking at it now, the process seems much more present, and the scene itself takes on new dimensions because of it. Thank you for broadening my perspective! Curator: My pleasure. It’s in these material examinations that the real stories often reside.