Frederikskirken i København 1765

Curator: Looking at "Frederikskirken i K\u00f8benhavn," a 1765 engraving by Jonas Haas, the immediate impact is that the building dwarfs everything around it. All those tiny figures milling about, emphasizing its monumental scale. What's your read, Editor? Editor: Well, it hits me as almost…theatrical? This grand architectural form staged against a cloudscape backdrop. The lines are so precise, so meticulous—you can almost hear the scratch of the engraver’s tool against the plate. There's something melancholic about it. Curator: Engravings, especially those depicting architecture, are fascinating artifacts of labor and process. Think of the skill and time invested in translating a three-dimensional space onto a two-dimensional plane. Haas, as the printmaker, is creating a commodifiable object but it also functions as documentation, reproducing the ideals of Baroque form and disseminating them broadly. Editor: Exactly. And beyond the labor aspect, it brings up questions of what urban life was like. The little dramas happening around the edges, those horse carriages, that game the children seem to be playing—they are all hinting stories that remain elusive. A moment frozen, but it still feels incredibly alive somehow. I like that tension between meticulous representation and vibrant storytelling. Curator: Right. Notice the emphasis on perspective? It serves not just to render spatial depth, but also reinforces hierarchy. The church—commissioned by royalty—dominates, and the public activities occurring are, literally, beneath it. That manipulation of perspective directs our reading. Editor: I wonder what Copenhageners thought seeing these prints? Imagine suddenly seeing your city immortalized – elevated and imposing – this must've felt really strange and profound. Curator: Undoubtedly. It was both a depiction and a subtle tool for reinforcing socio-political values. This image reveals as much about the intentions of its patrons as it does the technical virtuosity of Haas. Editor: Indeed. I find myself both drawn to its artistic qualities and prompted to ponder what stories these silent figures want to share! Curator: For me, revisiting Haas’ engraving highlights the power of art as both a marker of ambition and also labor of capturing our lived reality.