Kong Hemming 1646

Curator: Here we have "Kong Hemming," an engraving from 1646, currently residing at the SMK, Statens Museum for Kunst. It presents a historical painting aesthetic rendered in a print medium. My gut reaction? Solemn and surprisingly direct. Editor: Yes, the contrast is striking—the white paper versus the intense black hatching and cross-hatching create a powerful sense of depth and form. Look how those lines build the volume of the armor and the face. Classic Baroque dynamism within such a small scale. Curator: It's wild to think that someone carved all those tiny lines to create this image of King Hemming. I'm really drawn to his expression though. He's holding a sword—as one does in these kinds of portraits, a symbol of power—but his eyes...there's this…sadness, or maybe weariness there? What does that say about power, do you think? Editor: Power, representation, and image. I'm wondering about that sword: It cleaves the space, creating a vertical axis mundi, you know? And how the oval frame works semiotically—as closure but also as a window onto another world—in fact the inscription itself contributes to this spatial complexity. He died in 812 according to this! He had one long reign, the letters say so... I am curious. Curator: Yes, it certainly plays on our perception of rulers, maybe all humans. The print format…it makes me wonder, what’s it trying to capture? This one historical moment, preserved, copied. Each line feels considered, heavy. Even now centuries later…I get a shiver running down my spine. It speaks, loudly even. Editor: Agreed, even with the Latin inscription adding to the work's mystique! This piece really makes one think about how techniques of engraving can give even a small artwork enormous intensity. The linear complexity lends it depth far beyond its physical size, an intense encounter across history! Curator: Exactly, It is like looking through a darkened window into his moment! The fact that it's been around for so long, and speaks about rulers from an even older time! Profound.