Parti af Terkelskoven med kalkbrænderiet ved Farum 1820 - 1837

Johan Stroe made this landscape, “Parti af Terkelskoven med kalkbrænderiet ved Farum,” with oil paint on canvas, a very traditional pairing. But it’s the subject of the painting that really draws me in: a lime kiln, used for the industrial production of quicklime. Notice how it nestles, almost camouflaged, within the forest. Stroe certainly knew his way around a brush, rendering the foliage with careful attention. Yet he also gives us a glimpse into the industrial processes that were beginning to transform the Danish countryside. The artist has chosen to depict the site in a way that emphasizes the harmony between nature and industry. But this image also prompts questions about labor, class, and consumption in the 19th century. In the end, this painting reminds us that even the most seemingly straightforward landscape can be deeply embedded in social and economic realities. So, let's not separate art from the world of making; instead, let's see them as intertwined.