Nøgen mand, Hermes (?) med udstrakt højre arm 1743 - 1809

Curator: Welcome. Before us, we have a pen and ink drawing by Nicolai Abildgaard, created between 1743 and 1809. Its title translates to "Some Man, Hermes (?) with outstretched right arm". Editor: It’s immediately striking—the energy in such simple lines! It feels like a fleeting thought, a moment captured mid-motion. The toned paper gives it a classical feel. Curator: Abildgaard was a key figure in bringing Neoclassicism to Denmark. This sketch, like many others in his personal sketchbooks, demonstrates his engagement with classical forms, often referencing Greek and Roman mythology. Editor: The figure's nudity immediately evokes a certain power, an idealized masculinity of that era. The confident, forward gesture and ambiguous drapery signal his possible identity as Hermes, messenger of the gods. Curator: Yes, but his identity is, after all, just suggested. That points us to this work’s function, probably, as a preliminary study, almost certainly academic in purpose. These quick sketches show the artist’s study of anatomy and composition—basic stuff for that time. Editor: Yet it also shows something deeper. A vulnerability, perhaps, that’s inherent in the medium of ink on paper. Every mark is permanent, bearing witness to his hand, to the development of an idea. How do we contextualize images like these that feel very Western in their approach to mythology? What narratives get lost when this is presented at face value? Curator: It's a product of its time. The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts was where Abildgaard developed this style and approach, an institution with its own cultural priorities and established ways of teaching artistic conventions. The male nude, you might say, was the currency of artistic training in his time. Editor: Still, those historical forces produced these fascinating tensions. We can still learn about artistic evolution, the weight of tradition, and the lingering need to critique and re-imagine. Curator: True. We see that in the dynamism of Abildgaard's approach. The sketch feels unfinished and fresh simultaneously. Editor: Exactly. There is something about that inherent tension that sparks broader conversations of gender, power, and history through line and form. Curator: It truly makes you think about the role of preliminary drawing for grander works, the engine of creation. Editor: The tension it invites for the viewer now gives us much to unravel.