Illustration til Poul M. Møller, "Sct. Laurentius" 1887 - 1889

Editor: This is Waldemar Bøhme’s "Illustration til Poul M. Møller, "Sct. Laurentius"", an etching from the late 1880s. It’s unsettling – almost dreamlike. What jumps out at you when you look at it? Curator: The potency of visual storytelling lies not just in what is depicted but in how deeply it resonates with collective anxieties and archetypes. Look at the figure by the fire. What emotions do you read in its stance and gesture? Editor: Fear? Aggression? Definitely not maternal! The whole scene feels folkloric and threatening, especially the figure crouched above. It feels removed from the scene, somehow, not present in the moment. Curator: Exactly! Consider the fire, a primal symbol of both sustenance and danger. What psychological tension does that visual choice create when placed next to what is transpiring with those figures in the bottom section of the print? Editor: The contrast is powerful – the suggestion of safety with the threat of something awful. This reminds me of so many dark fairy tales, but why that duality of protection/danger? Curator: Folk tales were never simple morality plays. They preserved cultural memory. Bøhme uses symbols to trigger deep, often conflicting, emotional responses in the viewer. What about that contrast is personally resonant? Editor: So the unsettling feeling comes from touching on something primal, something we recognize subconsciously from our cultural history. This isn’t just an illustration; it’s a visual echo chamber. Curator: Indeed. Images retain their power by constantly being reinterpreted by new audiences, their symbols continually accumulating significance. What personal stories have been added for you today?