Petri Worm 1838

Curator: What a striking piece. This is "Petri Worm," a lithograph from 1838, housed here at the SMK. It's a work imbued with Romantic sensibilities, typical for that era. Editor: The Romantic era captured perfectly, I see melancholy in the shadows, even a sense of theatrical drama in his upturned collar. But he doesn't seem downtrodden; it’s a controlled melancholy, if that makes sense. Curator: Absolutely. Lithography and engraving offered new means to circulate images, making portraiture like this available to a wider audience. It reflects a growing interest in the individual, tinged by Romanticism's emotional depth. The subject’s name there at the bottom... What interpretations spring to mind? Editor: I think he looks caught between worlds—the sharp lines of the lithography offering this clean realism juxtaposed against this deep shadow, that hints at something much less defined and somewhat obscured. How does Romanticism tie into the symbolic weight here, in your view? Curator: Romanticism sought to express inner emotions, often through historical or allegorical figures. So perhaps this is about self-presentation during a transformative period in Danish cultural identity. The shadow seems almost an invitation to the uncanny—suggesting the complexity below surface appearances. The artist captures Worm so directly, and invites viewers to project what that could be on the page. Editor: And the way light dances across his face is exquisite. See how it carves out his features and simultaneously shrouds aspects of him in darkness. His eyes meet yours—it's not confrontational, it’s speculative, I think, almost yearning. There is something compelling about how those lines create texture and depth—they even show details of the folds of his coat, how well maintained he seems. The artist truly worked with such close attention to form and expression. Curator: The distribution of prints like this solidified ideas about cultural memory through recognizable portraiture of public figures, as he may have been then. It visualizes not just an individual, but an era. He remains caught between a familiar public world and an enigmatic interiority. Editor: Agreed. It is remarkable how effective stark monochrome lithography can be in conveying this psychological complexity, creating this lasting visual and historical impact.