Blank 1846

Editor: We are looking at "Blank," a drawing on paper from 1846 by Johan Thomas Lundbye, currently at the SMK. It’s quite a minimal piece—just a blank page in a sketchbook, it seems. There's a certain quiet anticipation to it. What do you make of it? Curator: Quiet anticipation… I like that. It's a deceptively simple image, isn't it? Imagine Lundbye, a Romantic artist deeply connected to the Danish landscape, poised to capture… nothing yet. The blankness itself speaks volumes. Maybe it's about potential, the infinite possibilities held within that empty space. What will he record? Editor: So, you think the importance lies in what it *could* be? Curator: Precisely! Think of the Romantic era – a time obsessed with nature's sublime power, but also individual introspection. This blank page might be Lundbye's way of saying, "I'm ready to be moved; I'm ready to translate the world onto this surface.” Or maybe it was just… Tuesday. You know, sometimes artists sketch a whole lot of nothin'. Editor: True! The artist probably just grabbed whatever surface that was nearest, or maybe he lost interest at the moment, it seems like everything has a hidden meaning these days. It can also represent the unknown possibilities within it. It’s a good way to think of blank pages. Curator: I never thought I’d get so contemplative staring at an empty page. Makes you wonder about all the stories and impressions, you know, the raw material of art, that get left unrecorded. Editor: Right? It makes you appreciate the choices artists make, even when they choose...nothing.