The Architect Gottlieb Bindesbøll 1837

Editor: This is Constantin Hansen’s “The Architect Gottlieb Bindesbøll,” painted in 1837 using oil on paper. I'm struck by how casual it feels, yet also carefully posed. It’s not the grand portrait style I expected. What’s your take? Curator: The intimacy is key. Consider the broader cultural shift happening in the 1830s. We're seeing a rising merchant class, a growing emphasis on individual identity outside aristocratic circles. Portraiture becomes less about commemorating lineage and more about capturing personality and profession. How does Bindesbøll's posture and attire contribute to that sense? Editor: He’s sitting on the floor, in what looks like everyday clothes… and with that wonderfully bright fez. So it is very different from official court paintings for example. Curator: Exactly! Hansen paints Bindesbøll in a domestic setting. The pipe smoking introduces a performative aspect to the role of an artist or architect, deep in thought, pondering designs while the modern bourgeois relaxes at home. The architectural historian Steen Estvad Petersen discusses how these portrayals redefined professional roles during Denmark's Golden Age. How do you think the public at the time would have reacted to this portrayal? Editor: It's almost as if it humanizes Bindesbøll. It democratizes the image of the architect. Curator: Precisely. Hansen subtly elevates Bindesbøll, but by placing him in this more approachable context. That red fez becomes more than just a hat; it is an important icon. Can this intimate, almost nonchalant representation also say something about the self-image of Danish architects at the time? Editor: Absolutely! It reflects a shift towards valuing individuality and skill, moving away from rigid social hierarchies. It’s like saying, ‘Here's a genius at work, but also just a guy enjoying his pipe.’ Thanks, that gave me so much food for thought! Curator: And to me. Thinking about it further, it brings up so many questions regarding the shaping of the Danish Bourgeois identity through this medium.