Sørup Kirke, Angel 1920

Editor: This watercolor piece, "Sørup Kirke, Angel," created by Agnes Slott-Møller in 1920, presents a stone church entrance, blocked by a metal gate. The delicate washes give it an almost ethereal quality, but there's also something solid about the architecture rendered with such detail. What can you tell me about the way materials intersect here? Curator: Look at the specific way Slott-Møller utilizes watercolor to depict different materials: rough stone, worked metal. The transparency of the washes builds the sense of depth, suggesting a study of light on solid structures. It invites us to consider the labor embedded in these materials. Think about the quarrying of the stone, the forging of the metal—whose hands shaped this space and how does the artist’s hand relate? Editor: So it's about thinking beyond just the aesthetics of the church? Curator: Precisely. Churches were major economic and social hubs. This image allows us to contemplate who had access, who controlled its resources, and how religious architecture influenced the landscape, both physically and socially. Why document this building in particular and its materiality? Consider also how the cost of production, from paint to paper, shaped Slott-Møller's choices. Editor: I didn't think about it that way. It’s like the very act of rendering this scene highlights economic and societal power structures! Curator: Exactly. Even her choice of watercolor - a more accessible medium than oil paint at the time – opens avenues to understand the art world beyond royal patronage. We’re looking at the economics of faith through the lens of artmaking. Editor: So the act of observing becomes a kind of critique. Thanks for opening my eyes to this deeper context. Curator: My pleasure. Always remember that the "how" an artwork is made can be just as telling as the "what" it depicts.