Daniel i løvekulen 1919

Joakim Skovgaard made this drawing of Daniel in the lions' den with ink on paper. Look at the marks he made to create this dramatic scene! They're not fussy, but full of energy. It's like he's sketching out an idea, letting the process guide the image. The texture is all in those lines, dense and dark, creating a feeling of depth and shadow. See how the angel seems to glow against the darkness? The lines around the figure of Daniel are so fine, so subtle, while the lions are rendered with thicker, more agitated marks. The contrast makes Daniel stand out in the den, like he’s in a spotlight. Skovgaard reminds me a little of 19th-century illustrators like Gustave Doré, who also used dramatic light and shadow to tell stories. But there’s something rawer here, more immediate. Art is like a conversation, and Skovgaard is adding his voice to a timeless tale. It’s not about perfection, but about the feeling of the moment, that tension between darkness and hope.