Kalke med folkevisemotiv (Jomfruen i ormeham) 1914

This drawing, 'Chalk with folk song motif (The Virgin in Snake Skin)' was made by Joakim Skovgaard on paper. Just look at those simple lines that make up the whole image; it’s almost like Skovgaard was thinking out loud with his pen. I’m imagining him there, in his studio maybe, trying to capture this folk song, this feeling, with just a few strokes. You can almost feel the speed and confidence in his hand as he’s deciding where each line should go. The way he scratches those lines, especially in the trees and the snake— it feels like he’s trying to catch something wild and untamed. And the woman, so serene amidst all that scratchiness, it’s like she’s the calm center of the storm. Skovgaard’s wider work, and that of other painters, reminds us that artists are always riffing off each other, stealing ideas, and pushing things further. Painting’s always been this messy, beautiful conversation across time, full of doubt, certainty, and everything in between.