Et billede af menneskelivet. Allegori 1882 - 1883

Curator: At first glance, it strikes me as oddly innocent and serene for a painting entitled "Et billede af menneskelivet. Allegori," or, “A picture of human life. Allegory.” Editor: And quite monochromatic. A grayscale palette drenches everything, imbuing the scene with an air of timelessness, even antiquity. Look at the almost photographic tonal range rendered entirely with oil on canvas! Curator: This canvas was created around 1882-1883 by Carl Balsgaard and held in the collection of the SMK, Denmark’s National Gallery. It seems he was invested in allegorical depictions of morality at this time. We must examine what cultural messages this artist wanted to get across. Editor: Immediately I am drawn to how he used classical tropes –the figures placed within this idealized Eden landscape create compelling juxtapositions. Note the placement of light and shadow and the way the figures almost imperceptibly merge and become part of nature, as the composition follows this tension and allows for no point of resolve. Curator: The artist uses classical iconography, as well as placing a naked child as the focus— perhaps the artist aims to associate modern political concepts to natural innocence to critique an elite system, in accordance with his social democratic ideas, but more research would be needed. Editor: Indeed. One might even argue that the sharp delineation between tonal qualities produces an overall graphic style, akin to lithographs made to spread certain socio-political themes. Yet the choice of oil rather than more populist or democratic medium gives it an extra dimension of seriousness Curator: It is hard to draw conclusions with limited background information about Carl Balsgaard or 1880s art industry. Did other artists explore these genre-themes as a trend, or was Balsgaard unusual? These questions need consideration. Editor: Whatever its deeper meanings, the painting is technically accomplished and evokes, even in monochrome, a certain nostalgia for lost innocence.