Skitser af køer. Udkast til monogram: SJ eller JS (Joakim Skovgaard) 1900 - 1905

Curator: Here we have a work by Niels Larsen Stevns from sometime between 1900 and 1905. It’s called “Skitser af køer. Udkast til monogram: SJ eller JS (Joakim Skovgaard)” which translates to "Sketches of cows. Draft for monogram: SJ or JS (Joakim Skovgaard)." It’s a pencil drawing currently held at the SMK, the Statens Museum for Kunst. Editor: Well, my first impression is one of immediacy. It’s raw, unrefined, capturing the essence of these cows in just a few strokes. There is something quite elemental and visceral about these renderings, even considering its humble materiality. Curator: Indeed. The sketch-like quality speaks volumes about the artistic process, revealing how the artist experiments with form and perspective. Think about the art world at the turn of the century, shifting from academic ideals to this pursuit of immediacy, fueled by impressionism. We get to witness the labor in its becoming. Editor: Right, and labor is a key term here. Who and what are we representing through visual labor, and what biases, class issues, and political frameworks influence artistic visual economies. We also should not ignore its seeming incompletion, perhaps signifying a deliberate fragmentation. What narrative is revealed in its incompleteness? Curator: A powerful point. And consider the potential implications for the cows depicted. Are they representative of broader societal hierarchies, perhaps mirroring the roles of animals as resources, tied to socio-economic structures? What implications does its placement in the museum, which can often function to reinforce structures of social or economic control and oppression? Editor: This really highlights how we engage with art through multiple, often conflicting lenses. This work offers a poignant glimpse into the ways that landscapes, art history and our understanding of it intersect and inform contemporary narratives. I have to say that, despite its simple nature, there is plenty to unravel about its origins and positionality! Curator: Absolutely. It's these layers of understanding that transform a simple sketch into a compelling visual text for interpretation, critique, and contemplation, making us wonder, in a way, of the power and value of preliminary forms of image production and the status afforded to 'sketches' or images that were never supposed to be released into public view.