En stående hest set fra siden, samt studie af en hests ører. 1842

Editor: This sketch, "A Standing Horse Seen From the Side, and a Study of a Horse's Ears," by Johan Thomas Lundbye, was created in 1842 using drawing as its medium. It feels quite immediate and utilitarian to me, not romanticized at all. How does the materiality and process inform your understanding of the work? Curator: I agree. The directness of the drawing, the starkness of line on paper, reveals the labor inherent in artistic study. The lack of color or painterly gesture puts emphasis on Lundbye's engagement with the animal as object. How do you see the harness interacting with that material relationship? Editor: It feels as though it marks the horse as both a natural being and a tool or a means of production; its labor made visible through these drawn lines. Curator: Precisely. And Lundbye’s quick strokes—the obvious effort to capture form economically—speaks to the demands and realities of both rural life and artistic practice at the time. The drawing almost becomes an account of its own making, a record of labor. How does viewing this shift our perspective on his better-known landscapes? Editor: It strips away any illusion of effortless beauty. Seeing this reminds us that even romantic landscapes are built on labor, both in their creation and in the realities they depict. The pristine is built upon the quotidian. Curator: Exactly. And reflecting on the use of paper and ink at the time, both relatively accessible yet valued commodities, highlights the social context. Art-making wasn't detached; it was embedded within a material reality. Editor: It makes you wonder about the accessibility of art education itself, and who had the privilege to engage in this kind of study. Thanks, this shifted my understanding considerably!