Stående kvindelig model 1823 - 1923

Editor: Here we have "Stående kvindelig model" a pencil drawing, believed to have been created between 1823 and 1923 by Vilhelm Lundstrom. The texture created by the pencil work seems almost tactile. What stands out to you most about this piece? Curator: The rapid, almost crude application of pencil immediately suggests a focus on process. Rather than idealizing the figure, Lundstrom presents the *making* of the image. It compels us to think about the economic conditions and the accessibility of materials that allowed for such an image. Is this a preparatory sketch, and what labor was involved for the model to stand for this sketch? Editor: So you are considering the act of drawing itself as a form of production? That’s interesting; it hadn’t occurred to me that way. I was just appreciating the simple lines, the shades of grey... Curator: Absolutely! Look closely; the quality of the paper, the specific type of pencil used, these all dictate the outcome and invite speculation. What socioeconomic factors dictated that the art was drawn on this support versus others? Editor: That shifts my perspective considerably! The sketch itself feels more like an object embedded in a specific time. Could Lundstrom have made it from a different material? Why did he select these material conditions? Curator: Precisely. Even the pose of the model -- who was she, and what were the labor dynamics implied by her posture and the artistic gaze? Think about the commodity exchange involved – time, materials, and artistic skill. Editor: So by considering the materials and the production context, we get a much richer, socio-economic reading of what might seem like a simple nude sketch. It highlights labor and context over aesthetics alone. Curator: Exactly. We’re acknowledging art making as work. We see the decisions of the artist and are allowed to consider a broader scope about society.