For the first time, 25 of local artist Stine Florian’s unique charcoal drawings are being compiled in a printed catalog that brings the faces of the past back to the present. Her portraits tell the stories of people who lived over a century ago and will be on display in a special exhibition at Geomuseum Faxe during the 2025 season.
A new catalog complements the special exhibition *Stine Florian’s Faces— Portraits from Kongsted and the Surrounding Area, 1895–1921* at Geomuseum Faxe and enhances the experience of the faces in the exhibition and their stories.
The catalog presents both the charcoal drawings and the short stories that bring the people behind the faces to life. At the same time, it provides context for Stine Florian’s *Faces* within both art and cultural history.
Stine Florian grew up in modest circumstances and had a special ability to capture the fragility and strength of life in her portraits—from the middle class to the poor. Her portraits, which for years were scattered throughout private homes and were later collected by the Faxe Municipal Archives, tell the stories of people who lived over a century ago.
“Unfortunately, we know very little about the artist Stine Florian,” says Marianne Rimmen Raasted, archivist at the Faxe Municipality Archives. “Florian’s works have been cherished locally, and they have held great personal significance for the families of the people she drew. But because she was a woman—and, moreover, from the provinces and without a major art patron backing her—I believe she has been overlooked in Danish art history.”
“The artworks unfold local history”
In the catalog, Lotte Tauber Lassen of the Faxe Visual Arts Council draws interesting parallels between Stine Florian’s “Faces” and the portrait as a genre: “Through her portraits, Florian embodies a unique artistic discipline,” says Lotte Tauber Lassen. “But portrait art isn’t just about mastering technique; it’s also a task of interpretation. It’s about capturing the essence of another person so that their personality is allowed to shine through. When you look at Florian’s charcoal drawings, much of their lives is reflected in the gaze of their eyes. We greet another person across the span of time.”
Through this catalog, local people from a bygone era are given a lasting voice that extends beyond their own time. The portraits from Kongsted and the surrounding area date from 1895 to 1921, and the schoolteacher, the girl from the poorhouse, and the brewer behind Kongsted Brewery are just a few of those depicted in charcoal with almost photographic precision.
“I think the artworks shed light on local history in new and exciting ways,” says the archivist, adding “It’s certainly my ambition to ensure that Stine Florian’s work is recorded in history, where portrait culture also has its place, and I hope that Stine Florian’s ‘Faces’ not only provides insight into the past but also inspires reflection on our own time and the people we share it with. Just think of all the selfies many of us are constantly taking.’
"Stine Florian's Faces " is a collaboration between the Faxe Visual Arts Council, the East Zealand Museum, and the Faxe Municipal Archives, and can be viewed at Geomuseum Faxe through the fall break of 2025.
The new catalog is available for purchase at the museum and costs 95 kr.