Udkast til illustration til Johs. Ewalds fortælling "Lykkens tempel. En drøm" i udgaven af hans samlede skrifter 1777 - 1780

Editor: This is Nicolai Abildgaard's pencil drawing, "Udkast til illustration til Johs. Ewalds fortælling 'Lykkens tempel. En drøm' i udgaven af hans samlede skrifter," made sometime between 1777 and 1780. It feels… theatrical, almost stage-like, with all these figures parading toward that temple in the distance. What captures your imagination about this work? Curator: Oh, theatrical is spot on! To me, this drawing feels like a dreamscape caught in charcoal. Look at the procession leading up to that neo-classical temple—it’s almost comically long. But it’s that foreground figure, hands to his head, seemingly in despair, that truly intrigues me. Do you notice the basket carrier's sly glance back? Editor: Now that you point it out, that character almost breaks the fourth wall! It's funny and weird at the same time. The neo-classical building is interesting - could the "temple" be a kind of romantic ideal or aspiration? Curator: Exactly! Abildgaard was steeped in Romanticism. He questions the pursuit of fleeting happiness, and maybe critiques the idea of chasing after such a rigid, constructed ideal—that very temple itself! Perhaps the foreground figure finally realizes all this, hence the drama? It's easy to miss in these dreamlike visions, how subversive and cynical he was at heart. Editor: So the "dream" is more like a warning? A bit of social commentary hidden in a beautiful drawing? Curator: Precisely. It’s a whisper of doubt amidst the grand pronouncements. A little like waking up from a beautiful dream only to find your toast is burnt. Editor: Wow, I will never see a basket the same way. Curator: Good, and may all the drawings that come next offer as many delightful nuances!