En face, stående på højre ben_mens venstre knæ støtter mod en taburet; ikke tegnet færdig_ 1745 - 1802

Curator: What strikes me immediately about this drawing is its almost ghostly quality. The figure seems to emerge from the paper, a delicate dance of line and shadow. Editor: It's definitely evocative. We're looking at a pencil drawing, En face, stående på højre ben_mens venstre knæ støtter mod en taburet; ikke tegnet færdig_, by Jens Juel, dating roughly from 1745 to 1802. Note the descriptive title, literally "facing forward, standing on the right leg, while the left knee rests against a stool; not drawn completely." Curator: That "not drawn completely" is so intriguing. It exposes the working methods, the materiality of artmaking itself. You can see the construction, the artist's thought process laid bare. Editor: Absolutely. Consider the context: Academic art. This wasn't intended as a finished piece for the market, but likely a study, perhaps for a larger history painting or portrait. The relative value would have been in service of production for later artwork, or as a practice exercise. Curator: There's a certain intimacy afforded by this incomplete state. I feel closer to the artist's hand, to the labor involved in bringing this figure into being. He almost floats, caught mid-gesture. Editor: And the material constraints are interesting: pencil on paper. It speaks to the accessibility of artmaking at the time, but also to the hierarchy of materials. Pencil sketches were often considered preparatory, secondary to the "finished" oil painting or sculpture. Yet here, the sketch takes center stage, prompting new respect for it's quality. Curator: I keep coming back to the gaze of the figure. He seems lost in thought, unaware of us, the viewers. His face has been worked so clearly; so clearly present, against an unfinished backdrop. There's melancholy, somehow, and incredible focus present. Editor: I think that juxtaposition, the intense detail of the face against the sketchiness of the body, is precisely what makes this piece so compelling. It challenges our notions of finish, of completion, and asks us to appreciate the beauty of process. Curator: Well, that’s given me a new appreciation for incompleteness itself, seeing not just a drawing, but seeing through the work to glimpse into what art truly entails in the making. Editor: For me, thinking of the socio-economics gives depth, but viewing the figure's focus gives a better feeling for the drawing than any history lesson might.