Siddende kvindelig model 1918 - 1923

Editor: Here we have "Siddende kvindelig model" – "Seated Female Model" – a pencil drawing made by Vilhelm Lundstrom sometime between 1918 and 1923. It’s currently at the Statens Museum for Kunst, SMK. It’s quite stark; the pose seems heavy with… contemplation, maybe? What strikes you most about it? Curator: Heaviness is a good word. For me, it evokes the weight of existence itself. Lundstrom isn't just showing us a seated woman; he's baring the soul, you know? Stripping away the superficial, leaving only the essential human form and… the emotions swirling within. Do you feel that raw vulnerability too? Editor: Yes, definitely. The figure is so exposed, not just physically, but emotionally as well. The way she’s hunched over, head in her hands… it speaks to a deep weariness. I wonder if that relates to the historical context at all? 1918, 1923... that was right after the First World War. Curator: Precisely. The echoes of war, loss, and societal upheaval resonate throughout this piece, don’t they? It feels very Expressionist, doesn’t it, tapping into this collective feeling. Do you find yourself drawn to those thick, almost frantic lines, that build up the form? Editor: I do. They almost vibrate with energy. It's as though he’s trying to capture something fleeting, something that’s on the verge of disappearing. So this isn’t just a study of form, but something much deeper? Curator: Absolutely. It’s a study of the human condition. And perhaps a reflection on Lundstrom’s own interior landscape, during those turbulent years. What do you make of how his use of form speaks to that idea of emotion? Editor: Thinking about how you see the art makes me realize this is something I will continue thinking about it in my next visit! Curator: Art is alive in our minds; keep making art part of that thought, and that will be the real work of art!