Uddrag af Knytlingesagaen om Knud den helliges udsendinge til Vendsyssel 1932 - 1935

Curator: We are looking at "Uddrag af Knytlingesagaen om Knud den helliges udsendinge til Vendsyssel," a work made between 1932 and 1935 by Niels Larsen Stevns. The artwork combines drawing with coloured pencil on paper and textile elements, and we find it at the SMK, Statens Museum for Kunst. Editor, what’s your initial take? Editor: It resembles a meticulously inscribed page from an illuminated manuscript—or perhaps a draft overflowing with thoughts! The density of text creates a feeling of confinement, as if knowledge is trapped within the page's borders. It really exudes a sense of concentrated energy. Curator: That energy comes from its production. Larsen Stevns blended high art traditions with craft, focusing on labor, materiality, and even the means of its consumption. Consider the combined use of paper and textile with colored pencil—how does the blending of materials affect its accessibility, challenging conventional notions? Editor: The way you describe the method encourages a deeper connection with the artist and the historical background surrounding its making. But the text itself, what narrative do these densely packed words want to unlock? Curator: It visualizes an extract from the Knytlinga Saga relating to King Canute the Holy’s emissaries sent to Vendsyssel, presenting a narrative moment. Consider the work's materiality: its physical manifestation transforms the saga's historical context into a tangible, crafted object. Editor: I see now how the art pushes us past aesthetic delight to focus on making visible those historical connections. Even so, do we know whether Larsen Stevns had intended only a historical study? What about the pure, abstract impact on viewers unaware of such backgrounds? Curator: Regardless of direct engagement, the visible manual labor elevates our encounter. Larsen Stevens highlights the value we place on process. And that shifts it from storytelling to artifact to statement. Editor: A fascinating insight indeed! It definitely transformed my understanding. Thank you for the fresh perspective, that labor argument gave me so much to consider.