Stående model 1914 - 1915

Curator: Here we have Karl Isakson's pencil drawing, "Stående model," created sometime between 1914 and 1915. It's part of the collection at the SMK, the Statens Museum for Kunst. Editor: It feels very immediate, doesn't it? Almost like a fleeting impression caught in graphite. The pose, the starkness of the nude figure... it evokes a feeling of vulnerability, but also a quiet strength. Curator: Indeed. Isakson's style during this period was influenced by expressionism. Consider the broader artistic landscape in those years—the burgeoning avant-garde, the questioning of academic traditions, the search for authenticity. Editor: You can see that search in the sketch itself. There’s a deliberate simplification, almost an abstraction, of the human form. The zig-zag lines around the legs; I'm reminded of the modernist fascination with primal forms. Do you see it carrying any older iconographic meanings to you? Curator: It does remind me of the classic themes. The image is deliberately stripped back, yet presented at a time when perceptions of the female body and its representation were in great flux, in broader society. Editor: It's almost as if the artist is interrogating the classical nude. Taking something established and looking to expose a fresh aspect. There's an angularity, especially in the arms and shoulders, that moves away from traditional depictions. And the head covering – such an everyday element. How did it feel to Isakson, during the war years, to show work like this in public? Curator: His later work suggests a constant renegotiation of themes like grief and beauty. Public exhibitions, critical receptions – these things inevitably shaped artistic dialogues around nude subjects. I suppose Isakson had an interesting point to make by depicting them plainly. Editor: Well, thank you for adding more light to Isakson’s practice! I’ll be reflecting on the relationship between simplicity, strength and potential challenges during the creative process. Curator: And I will continue to explore the drawing’s role in depicting and debating the female image.