Portræt af kunstnerens brødre, hel figur, lænet til et bord og læsende 1834

Christen Købke sketched this intimate portrait of his brothers with pencil on paper. Købke lived during the Danish Golden Age, a time of national romanticism. Consider this sketch as a personal counterpoint to the grand historical paintings that often defined the era. The intimacy of the scene, with its focus on his brothers in a moment of quiet study, offers a glimpse into the domestic sphere of a bourgeois family, a world often unseen in the grand narratives of national identity. What does it mean to see brothers depicted in such a gentle, scholarly light during a time when masculinity was often associated with military prowess and public life? It challenges us to consider the alternative expressions of masculinity that existed beyond the battlefield and the political arena. The act of reading, here, becomes a form of quiet strength, a testament to the power of intellect and contemplation. This work invites us to reflect on the complexities of identity, both personal and national, and on the quiet moments that shape our understanding of ourselves and each other.