Danaidernes straf 1783 - 1816

Editor: This is C.G. Kratzenstein Stub’s "The Punishment of the Danaids," a drawing created sometime between 1783 and 1816. There's a real sense of futility conveyed by the repetition of figures and actions. What catches your eye when you look at this work? Curator: What intrigues me is the interplay between classical subject matter and the practical, almost mundane process of its creation. Look at the medium – a drawing. This isn’t some grand, finished history painting, but something more immediate, revealing the artist’s labor, the iterative process. Editor: So, you are focusing on the labor that went into producing it? Curator: Precisely. The myth of the Danaids—fifty sisters condemned to endlessly fill a leaking vessel—is a story of repetitive, fruitless work. Stub replicates this in his own work. What does it mean to meticulously depict such a scene using humble materials? How does that change our perception of "high art," and also of "women's work" throughout history? Editor: It does kind of level things out...the mythical punishment with the labor involved in artistic creation. Curator: And further, what's the context of production here? A drawing, likely a study, perhaps for a painting never realized? The social and economic constraints surrounding Stub and the work become critical. The paper, the pencil, the artist's time—these are material realities that shape the artwork's meaning. Who was the drawing intended for? Why was it produced? Editor: That's a great way to frame it. I was just seeing a classical scene, but now I'm considering the whole world of work behind it. Curator: Indeed. We can use this piece to consider not just the narrative it portrays, but the means through which it came into existence. Editor: Thanks, that has definitely shifted how I think about this drawing. I'll never see it the same way again!