Portræt af fru Camilla Bentzen 1901

This is W. Runeberg's "Portræt af fru Camilla Bentzen", about 51 cm high, made with some kind of clay or plaster-like material. The making of a sculpture is always a process of pushing and pulling, adding and subtracting. Here, the surface has a kind of mottled texture, as if the artist's hands were constantly at work, coaxing the material into form. This constant reworking gives the face a quality of lived-in experience. It has a kind of raw quality, a material presence. The dress and lace collar have these deep undercuts, as if the artist wanted to show the work of his hand and process of making more than any kind of refined naturalism. It's a little rough around the edges, maybe a bit like Rodin, but with a quieter, more contemplative energy. I'm reminded of a quote from him "I choose a block of marble and chop off whatever I don't need". The process of finding a form through a physical interaction. It makes me think about how art is an ongoing conversation across time.