Allegorisk tegning på adresse til museumsdirektør Karl Madsen i anledning af dennes 70-års dag d.22.3. 1925. 1925

Joakim Skovgaard created this allegorical drawing as a birthday greeting for museum director Karl Madsen, probably using pen and ink, in 1925. I can imagine Skovgaard drafting the image over and over, the nib of his pen scratching across the surface of the paper, as he searches for a fluid composition. His lines coalesce into figures from mythology and the natural world. I see the winged figure bestowing flowers on two women, standing beneath an inscription. The composition almost echoes the symmetry of a neoclassical frieze. Skovgaard also worked on monumental, history paintings, but here he tries his hand at something smaller, more intimate. Perhaps he labored over the details of the composition, aiming to deliver a message of sincere appreciation. Artists have always celebrated each other, and it’s a testament to the ways in which practitioners continue to uphold the role of art in society. It’s a lovely sentiment.