Kvindelig model 1901 - 1905

Oluf Hartmann created this charcoal drawing of a female model on paper some time before his death in 1910. The loose sketch, titled "Kvindelig Model", seems to capture a moment of the artist exploring the human form and the ways it can be represented. The draped cloth hints at classical traditions, filtered through the institutional lens of academic figure drawing. Consider the context: Hartmann was a Danish artist working at a time when the art world was changing rapidly, where artists were challenging conventional styles. Does the image critique the traditions of the academy, or does it perpetuate those traditions? We can begin to answer that by delving into the historical resources related to the artist, to the art academy in Denmark, and the social norms around artistic training at the turn of the century. The meaning of art is contingent on this social and institutional context.