Studie af liggende mandlig model samt af hænder 1686 - 1738

Curator: Hey! So, Hendrik Krock’s “Study of a Reclining Male Nude, and Hands,” from around the late 17th to early 18th century… It's just hanging out here at the SMK. A red chalk drawing... It kind of reminds me of daydreaming. What catches your eye? Editor: It does feel very ethereal, the way the figure kind of floats on the page, rendered with these soft, reddish lines. And then there are those detached hands hovering above…almost surreal! What do you make of the composition? It seems almost dreamlike in its construction. Curator: Dreamlike, yes! Spot on! The floating hands make me think about the Renaissance ideal of the perfectly proportioned body – Krock's obviously riffing on it but with a totally different, more inquisitive and ephemeral sensibility. Imagine him in his studio, wrestling with capturing human form...I mean, the Renaissance obsession, right? Editor: It's fascinating how he separates the hands like that. Is that a typical baroque thing? Or more about Krock's style? Curator: Good question! The Baroque loves drama, sure. But here, the hands feel…isolated. Like he's searching for something beyond mere anatomical accuracy. It feels to me like Krock is exploring the expressive potential of the hands. Editor: So, beyond anatomy, into emotion or something deeper? Curator: Exactly! They seem to point toward something beyond the physical. Makes me wonder what else he might be suggesting. What if our hands only really know what our brains eventually realize? Deep, huh? Editor: Definitely deep! I had no idea a figure study could be so philosophical. Curator: Right? That’s the joy of stumbling upon older art that continues to touch new thoughts, right? You never know what will awaken something, years or even centuries later.