Tiderne no. 2 1797

Curator: This etching, “Tiderne no. 2,” was created around 1797 by Gerhard Ludvig Lahde. You can find it here at the SMK, Statens Museum for Kunst. What do you think? Editor: Stark. The severe lines emphasize the stark reality of the allegorical figures and their grim procession. There's a chill in the air just looking at it. Curator: Lahde created a potent commentary on the era's socio-political tides through sharp satire. We have figures of power, led inexorably by death. Editor: I’m immediately drawn to the balance—or imbalance, really—created by the skeletal figure of death, brandishing a scythe. He dominates the composition. The verticality established by his form contrasted with the rounded figures beside him. Curator: Indeed. And note how the figure ascending the steps seems to represent the established order clinging to outdated decrees while death looms, dragging away both the Church and possibly the merchant class to some unknown future. It suggests a radical upheaval. Editor: Radical, yet the figures’ attire are rendered with meticulous detail using finely hatched lines that provide textural nuance but contribute to the somber tonality. And consider the composition! Almost devoid of setting to maximize the graphic effect and convey the themes—the grim inescapability of mortality. Curator: That starkness mirrors the unease of a society witnessing the crumbling of old regimes. Remember, this was the era of revolution. Lahde wields caricature as a weapon, critiquing institutions clinging to power amidst sweeping change. The print would have been quickly reproduced and distributed, shaping opinions in a very public way. Editor: There's even a touch of visual wit in the angel wings drawn faintly above the main characters – perhaps to comment on how ridiculous death, authority and judgement is. The precision allows it to function almost as an abstraction, intensifying the symbolism. Lahde reduces complex anxieties into their formal essence and creates meaning. Curator: An unsettling commentary through precise lines. Its power remains undiminished. Editor: Yes, a study of mortality that speaks across centuries using only the essential graphic tools. Intriguing!