Studie af hoved 1902

Editor: Here we have Joakim Skovgaard’s "Studie af hoved" from 1902, a portrait executed in watercolor and drawing. There's something so delicate and fragile about it. What catches your eye about this piece? Curator: Let’s consider the very materials employed: watercolor and pencil on paper. These are not the materials of grand history painting, but rather of intimate, personal study. Look closely; can you see the way the paper itself is stained and aged? It speaks to a certain type of value being placed not just on the image, but on the labor involved in producing it. It points to a social context where sketching, especially religious sketching, became essential to the craft of artwork itself. Editor: I see what you mean. The imperfections and the medium used give it a sense of process and immediacy. But what about the subject matter? Curator: Precisely! The artistic labour, the humble materials, the sketching itself… these are all decisions with ramifications. Here, we must consider how this representation participates within an established industry. Are we meant to believe this piece to be of religious relevance when religious iconography at this time served as both a form of personal expression and cultural identity, but was also commodified? Editor: So you're suggesting the choice of medium influences how we perceive the subject, questioning if it is supposed to be strictly religious when other pieces are so commercially inclined? Curator: Precisely. Consider this labor and medium used and question its original and later context to gain deeper knowledge. What do you think now about Skovgaard’s material choices? Editor: Now I see how closely examining materials reveals so much more than just technique. Thanks!