Karikatur af en frugtsommelig kone, gående 1803 - 1809

Curator: This is a caricature by Nicolai Abildgaard, likely created between 1803 and 1809. The Danish title translates to “Caricature of a pregnant woman, walking.” It's ink on paper, a drawing from the collection of the SMK, the National Gallery of Denmark. Editor: Immediately, the line quality jumps out. It’s economical but evocative. The figure has an almost defiant stance with her arms crossed. The rendering has this slightly askew expression. Curator: Yes, it speaks to the emotional weight carried by women in those times, especially the burdens related to domesticity. The swelling belly becomes a potent symbol. Editor: And look at how that heaviness is grounded – that dark patch toward the bottom of her dress? The materiality feels important there. Like an imperfection, but integral to her being portrayed as real. Curator: The Romantic period saw an embrace of such rawness of feeling, an attempt to see things more vividly. In that sense, a drawing is like looking at a fleeting thought caught in its rawest form. Note her gesture. Those tightly crossed arms feel almost protective but closed off from any emotional expression. The line is so clear and determined it becomes both emotional and alienating. Editor: Absolutely. The minimal, stark line-work allows focus on form. Even her clothing conveys materiality—how it hangs, shifts in weight. You almost get a sense for how those materials were made. Who was using the product of this labour? And for whom? Curator: It invites empathy while preserving distance. This piece captures this precarious tension beautifully, not just visually, but psychologically, through potent gestures that remain compelling, more than two centuries on. Editor: Indeed, it makes one consider the lasting significance of portraying commonplace existence, or the reality of pregnancy, using these very intimate materials, a seemingly ordinary pen and some ink. It speaks to the enduring need to observe and give meaning to lived experience.