Fra Assistens Kirkegaard, (iflg . gml. auk.kat) park med søjle i måneskin 1797

Heinrich Grosch created this print of Assistens Cemetery in Copenhagen, a place that was originally intended for the poor but became a fashionable burial site for prominent figures of the Danish Golden Age. Consider the emotional landscape of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Graveyards became places for quiet contemplation and reflection. The cemetery here is rendered as an intimate, even romantic space, bathed in moonlight. The strong verticality of the trees and column create a sense of aspiration, reaching towards the heavens. Grosch has framed the image to include a tombstone in the foreground, reminding us of our own mortality. Death is presented as a transition, not an end. Looking at this print, we are invited to ponder life's big questions about life, death, and what comes after, all within the seemingly tranquil confines of Assistens Cemetery. Grosch transforms the cemetery into a stage for reflection.