Et par kalve på "Fladen", Saltholm 1908

Theodor Philipsen drew these calves on "Fladen", Saltholm, with a pen, and what strikes me is the utter simplicity of the moment. I imagine Philipsen, out in this field, maybe in a hurry, quickly trying to capture the essence of these animals. The quick strokes, almost like scribbles, give the calves their form and texture, and you can almost feel the dry, open air, the kind of slightly scratchy and sparse landscape. He probably didn’t labour over details but focused on capturing the light and the way these creatures stood, their weight and presence on the land. There’s a raw, immediate quality to the drawing. It feels like a page torn from a sketchbook, a moment observed and quickly rendered. You can see the artist's hand and eye working together, trying to nail something down before it moves on. It’s like a painter’s haiku, so economical in its means, so evocative in its effect. It reminds me of other artists who find beauty in the everyday, who see the extraordinary in the ordinary.