Oprettelsen af det kgl. bibliotek 1781 - 1784

Curator: Nicolai Abildgaard's "The Creation of the Royal Library," dating from 1781 to 1784, offers a glimpse into the ambitions of enlightened patronage. It is a tempera drawing currently residing in the SMK, Statens Museum for Kunst. Editor: My first thought is that it seems almost ghostly, like a memory rendered in pale shades. The composition, the figures, the globe… everything feels like a delicate echo. Curator: That's perceptive. Consider the sociopolitical context. Abildgaard painted this during a period of intellectual ferment and royal aspiration. The library, commissioned by the Crown, symbolized Denmark's cultural ambitions and a desire for rational order in society. Look at how the figures, all men, are draped in neoclassical robes – the style meant to evoke ideas of classical learning. How might this construction of national identity intersect with existing power structures of gender and class? Editor: Right, it's an exclusive image of knowledge production. I'm struck by the rendering of the globe. Its placement draws my attention to the mechanics of the object. It seems carefully built, almost crafted – which resonates given your mention of nation-building. The library becomes another artifact that requires skill to build. Are the robes of those depicted a symbolic material of intellect as well? Curator: That’s an insightful connection. The clothing of the period, the labor that went into the craftsmanship of those garments - those are indeed powerful signifiers of status and cultural capital. There's an element of idealism, even utopianism, embedded here, in its own way promoting academic-art. But we must consider the absence of the everyday workers who actually built this institution, literally and figuratively. Who got access to this library? Who were excluded? Editor: So, a vision of intellectual expansion achieved through selective elevation and elision of the material processes that underpinned its production. In essence the very labour of the making is rendered invisible. Curator: Precisely. It underscores how notions of progress are inevitably shaped by structures of privilege. The work, in my view, invites us to think about knowledge production as a form of social and cultural negotiation, especially for those marginalized. Editor: And for me, seeing it laid bare inspires scrutiny regarding art and labor, which I suppose is its power. Curator: Agreed. Ultimately, this image reflects Denmark’s intellectual and social position, its material construction and how we engage critically with it today.