Den hellige Sebastian 1893

Curator:Alright, let’s talk art. Editor: Standing here in front of Jan Verkade’s “Den hellige Sebastian” from 1893 at the SMK, painted using watercolor…it’s strikingly gentle, don’t you think? Especially given Sebastian’s story. I’m struck by the flatness of the composition, it's like a medieval tapestry but... more awkward. What do you see in this piece? Curator: Awkward is a delicious word to use here! Verkade's flattening serves the work, it invites you into a meditative space, a realm more dream than execution. Did you notice that Sebastian's halo is so solid it feels heavy, almost weighing him down with its imposed holiness? The saint becomes, oddly, a figure both divine and vulnerable, doesn't he? And the arrows… like floral adornments rather than instruments of death! What a statement about the nature of martyrdom! It feels almost naive, echoing folk art... Editor: It definitely doesn’t scream martyrdom! The arrows seem almost incidental. I love that observation about the halo. Does that have something to do with Symbolism, perhaps? Curator: Precisely! Think of Symbolism as a visual poem, steeped in mood and suggestion. Artists like Verkade were less interested in reality than in evoking an emotional or spiritual state. The childlike rendering gives it all a beautiful…off-kilter feel. Editor: It definitely invites you in rather than pushing you away with religious trauma. I really enjoy that tension between the symbol of pain, with the peaceful meadow behind him. Thanks for that beautiful insight! Curator: My pleasure! It's pieces like this that remind me art can be a quiet whisper, not just a shout.