Studier af siddende person 1864 - 1941

Editor: Here we have "Studies of a Seated Person" by Niels Larsen Stevns, dating somewhere between 1864 and 1941. It's a pencil drawing in a sketchbook. It feels so raw and immediate, almost like catching a glimpse of the artist's process. What strikes you most about it? Curator: It's interesting you call it "raw." I think about the function of sketchbooks at the time – particularly within academic training. These weren't necessarily meant for public consumption but served as spaces for artists to work through ideas, copy other works, and develop their technical skills in figure drawing. Does that inform your sense of the image, knowing its private function? Editor: That’s a great point. Knowing it was likely just for the artist changes things. It feels less like a finished statement and more like... practice. I guess, how does understanding its possible academic context change how we view the imagery within the social framework of art production in that era? Curator: Absolutely. Art academies established particular hierarchies and conventions. Stevns’ study challenges a romantic interpretation by placing the focus on the process of learning artistic skills. The image is devoid of an easy or legible narrative – there's no dramatic scene, and the identity of the sitter is obscure. But these incomplete elements ask us to analyze artistic study and knowledge during Stevns’ education, as a crucial stage in art's creation. Do you agree? Editor: I completely see what you mean! It makes you think about all the work and effort that goes unseen before the ‘finished’ product is displayed for the public. Curator: Exactly! The piece then serves as a commentary of art’s presentation for a public, against the work involved behind the scenes. Editor: Thanks. I’ve certainly learned to not just look at what's in front of me but to think about the layers of context and creation around a work. Curator: And for me, considering the layers surrounding Niels Stevns is still work in progress, and a key factor in better grasping art history.