Blank 1896

Curator: This work, dating back to 1896, is simply titled "Blank". It's a drawing in coloured pencil on paper, housed here at the SMK, and created by Niels Larsen Stevns. Editor: Well, that's… certainly one way to describe it. I mean, my immediate impression is pure, unadulterated nothingness. An almost zen-like void stares back at you, doesn’t it? I keep wanting to see something that isn't there... it's unnerving and kinda funny. Curator: Perhaps. But emptiness can also be pregnant with possibility. The blank page has long been a potent symbol—of untapped potential, new beginnings. And given Stevns’ other work, steeped in symbolism and narrative, this “Blank” could be read as an invitation, a space for the viewer to project their own stories and meanings. Editor: Ah, so it's a cosmic Rorschach test. Clever! It makes me think about art's fundamental role in challenging our perceptions and inviting introspection, prompting us to confront our projections. So very postmodern even. It also raises some big questions, about when and why art still can be or can mean "nothing." Curator: Indeed. In iconographic terms, the void also appears in apophatic theology. Medieval thinkers called the abyss, God, by giving God an unsayable name, or infinite number of names—an ultimate reality unknowable through language or images. Here, what can “blankness” signify? Editor: This humble page reminds me of an early score, before music actually appears! You feel you’re on the cusp of creation, of something ready to burst forth... and it is all up to you. Now, I am feeling some responsibility about how I respond. Maybe "nothing" is much more like everything in this artwork... the "alpha" point of origin! Curator: A generative emptiness, yes. An icon that negates iconography itself. I find that powerful. Editor: And now I'm feeling it too. Not bad for "Blank," eh? Curator: Not at all. The power of a good question, posed visually.