Sovende pige 1910 - 1914

Curator: Here we have Harald Giersing's "Sleeping Girl," dating from between 1910 and 1914, a delicate work rendered in watercolor and ink. It currently resides here at the SMK. Editor: Oh, it’s all hushed tones, isn’t it? That pink is just luminous and melancholic all at once, like fading roses pressed between the pages of a forgotten diary. The way those charcoal lines sort of scratch around the edges adds a layer of unease... beautiful but subtly disturbing. Curator: Precisely. Giersing was deeply engaged with Expressionism at this time, but he’s also playing with the concept of Intimism. We see this subject, the sleeping girl, captured in this intensely private moment, yet there's that rawness of expression – that pushes it beyond simple domestic tranquility. Editor: So, not just a gentle scene but an exploration of something deeper… sleep, perhaps? Dreams? It feels almost Freudian. I’m particularly drawn to how the head is slightly tilted with the shadow on the left. I want to know what world she's visiting, the sounds and visions swirling through her consciousness. It reminds me how the art world at the time were starting to experiment with how they rendered feelings, like Van Gogh before, and Munch later. Curator: Absolutely. And you know, it’s also important to consider the period. Think about the burgeoning psychoanalysis movement, the questioning of societal norms. This painting reflects that introspection, a quiet revolution occurring within the canvas itself. The loose brushwork could even echo the breakdown of traditional artistic styles and, perhaps, societal structures. Editor: Yes, it makes sense. This is far from the static perfection of classical portraiture. It's about capturing a feeling, a fleeting emotional state and rendering it through the lens of color and texture. And as viewers we also are left pondering about this feeling, the "feeling of feeling". Curator: Exactly. What Giersing achieves is to give the mundane, everyday intimacy a profound and affecting dimension through formal means. Editor: It’s really the type of work that keeps you staring to decipher the whispers embedded within these delicate hues and frenetic lines. Art that reminds you to pause. Curator: And perhaps, that’s the real invitation. To pause, reflect, and maybe, even for a moment, to dream alongside her.