Ornamentskitse 1932 - 1935

Editor: Here we have Niels Larsen Stevns' "Ornamentskitse" from the mid-1930s, a drawing combining pencil and what looks like colored pencil, held at the SMK. It feels like a peek into an artisan's notebook. What stands out to you? Curator: I see a crucial point in understanding the value of preparatory sketches and studies. We see Stevns wrestling with materials and forms not necessarily to arrive at a finalized "high art" object, but to explore geometric possibilities, to think through a specific craft problem using readily available materials: pencils and paper. Editor: So it's less about the aesthetic quality and more about the artistic process itself? Curator: Precisely. What kind of labor do you imagine was involved in the production of the objects these ornaments were designed for? Was this skilled artisan work? Or mass produced, perhaps reflecting early industrial modes of production where hand-drawn design informs machine production? These pencil marks also hint at broader questions of class, consumption, and access to decorative arts. Editor: It makes me think about the social status embedded in design, where some designs become ubiquitous while others stay confined to sketchbooks like this. Curator: Absolutely! And notice the materials – pencil and paper. Inexpensive, accessible. Were they chosen deliberately to remove the 'preciousness' of the final, idealized ornament? Editor: I hadn't thought about it that way! It’s fascinating how considering the medium recontextualizes our understanding of the artwork’s value. Curator: Indeed. This piece really highlights the materiality of artistic and industrial creation. Thinking about what makes it 'art' leads to all sorts of fascinating places.