Vinterlandskab fra Frederiksdal med skøjteløbere 1820s

Editor: So, here we have Johan Stroe's "Winter Landscape from Frederiksdal with Ice Skaters," from the 1820s, oil on canvas. It has this really quiet, almost subdued quality to it. What strikes you about this piece? Curator: For me, the focus is on the materials themselves, the labor involved. Look at the layering of the oil paint, how it evokes the texture of the snow, almost granular. I'm also interested in the socio-economic aspect; consider the availability of materials like oil paints and canvas in Denmark at that time. Who had access to them? What did it mean to depict everyday life like ice skating? Editor: I hadn't considered the materials as telling a story. Were these materials common for landscape paintings then? Curator: Oil paint was becoming more widespread, allowing for that fine detail. But canvas quality mattered, pigments varied, influencing the longevity and appearance. More interesting to consider is who produced and consumed this painting. Was this for a wealthy patron? Was it intended to celebrate the Danish countryside or purely for artistic expression, divorced from the immediate realities of laborers and those facing resource constraints in Frederiksdal? Editor: So, the artwork is more than just the pretty landscape; it is tied into social production. Curator: Exactly. And think about the “genre-painting” aspect of it - the leisure activity depicted. Ice skating was, and arguably still is, bound by social class as there has to be access to these specific resources. Where does this place this depiction of labor? And further, we are also consuming this art. Does it depict realism, and further what considerations need to be made about what and how we, even now, consume art. Editor: That gives me a lot to think about! Thanks for this perspective; I’m going to look at materiality with much more nuance from now on. Curator: And hopefully consider further the material consumption of art as well.