En stjerne; samt vers. Side 27 1840 - 1844

Curator: This delicate drawing, "En stjerne; samt vers. Side 27" by Johan Thomas Lundbye, created between 1840 and 1844, invites a very close viewing. The materials are straightforward: ink on paper, part of a sketchbook now residing at the SMK. What strikes you initially about this page? Editor: A raw, yearning feeling. The text looks handwritten, which lends such intimacy. It's like glimpsing someone’s private thoughts, illuminated, quite literally, by that star. The bare, almost stark presentation adds to this sense. Curator: Right. The visible texture of the paper stock, the way the ink bleeds slightly in places... these speak volumes about the immediate context of its making. This wasn’t intended for display. Lundbye clearly valued the ready availability and portability of the sketchbook form, seeing how its production suited his quick notes and impressions. Editor: The star at the bottom—almost feels like an afterthought, or a little dream tacked on. But the way it’s so cleanly outlined suggests a kind of longing for clarity, for a fixed point amid all those flowing words. I imagine him pausing, pen still in hand, gazing out into the Danish twilight and sketching it in to set a sense of hopeful ending to these thoughts on the page. Curator: Well, Romanticism as a movement certainly emphasized that deeply subjective experience—how landscape and memory and text are interwoven. And the materiality here reinforces it, the accessibility of pen and ink on inexpensive paper for personal meditations. It makes you consider what it meant for artistic expression to become democratized to a degree, beyond just the patronage of the elite. Lundbye's practice of everyday drawing contributed significantly to this transition, right? Editor: Precisely! It gives value to fleeting moments, transforming raw, emotional thought into artifact, no? This work speaks volumes with what some might perceive as its imperfections: hasty lines, blotches of ink. And yes, that simple star holds its own gravity—reminding us of the profound depth and meaning that can reside in what seems initially humble and slight. Curator: Indeed, looking at the entire page as an archive allows us to recognize how deeply materials are enmeshed with artistic conception. Thank you for sharing this inspiring perspective. Editor: The pleasure was mine. Until next time.