Rejsedagbog 1845

Curator: Here we have Johan Thomas Lundbye’s "Rejsedagbog," created in 1845. It's currently held at the SMK, or Statens Museum for Kunst. This page is predominantly a drawing rendered with ink on paper, infused with romantic elements and functioning as a narrative piece. Tell me, what are your first thoughts looking at this diary page? Editor: My first thought is about intimacy, that I’m peering into someone’s private thoughts. The handwritten text, the small scale – it all feels very personal and delicate. What stands out to you most about this diary entry? Curator: Ah, "Rejsedagbog"! You are so right to recognize intimacy, my dear. I sense Lundbye reaching for something profound here, trying to capture the essence of experience itself. Can you not see it almost shimmering? His rapid script seems like an attempt to hold on to fleeting ideas, emotions that might disappear if he pauses too long to refine his lettering! The journey here is interior, no? What sort of journey do you suppose he is transcribing here? Editor: A journey of the mind, definitely. I see it too now – a restless energy in the writing. So, is the textile-like edge on the left of the work indicative of some bookbinding technique from that period, or does the trim offer something of a deeper message? Curator: I perceive both utility and expression. Functionally, it binds the book together, protects these thoughts within; but its gentle, tactile appeal provides relief. Editor: I love that: protection and relief in the same element. It gives the whole piece a sense of completeness. Thank you so much for pointing that out! Curator: My pleasure! I am happy to have helped bring some light to this most interesting diary.