Naa! Hvorledes gaar det... 1928

Fritz Syberg made this pen and ink drawing, Naa! Hvorledes gaar det..., at an unspecified date. It is a very immediate and energetic piece, with loads of hatching to create tone and build up the image. For me, the frenetic mark-making is like the energy and vibration of the landscape itself. The surface of the paper is left bare to create a bright, high-key impression. See how the artist has used many different weights of line to describe the scene. From the short, sharp strokes that define the ducks in the water, to the longer, more fluid lines that describe the reeds in the foreground. I’m particularly drawn to the area on the left where the two birds sit amongst the reeds. There is something both restful and a little unsettling about their presence, like an intrusion into the natural world. Syberg was part of the Funen Painters group, known for their depictions of rural life. You can see echoes of Van Gogh and the Barbizon school in his work, but with a distinctly Scandinavian sensibility. It's a drawing that stays with you, inviting you to look again and again.