Men det er saa dejligt... 1928

Fritz Syberg made this drawing, Men det er saa dejligt..., probably with ink on paper, and it's like looking into a room full of domestic life, all rendered in these scratchy, energetic lines. You can feel Syberg's hand moving across the page, a kind of restless energy trying to capture the scene before him. I imagine him quickly sketching, trying to keep up with the movements of the animals, maybe even muttering to himself as he goes. Look at how the lines create depth and shadow, how they suggest form without ever quite solidifying. The back of the woman is given so much attention, we almost know her. What is she looking at? The animals give such character to the sketch! There is a goose in the lower right of the picture plane. Its shape is reduced to a few lines and some shading, but the energy makes it pop. It reminds me of other artists who use line in a similar way, like the nervous energy of a Cy Twombly drawing, or maybe the domestic interiors of Bonnard. It’s like Syberg is in conversation with them, all speaking this language of marks on a surface, each with their own accent and way of seeing. Ultimately, it's a reminder that painting is a conversation, a way of talking to each other across time and space.