Rejsedagbog 1845

Editor: This is a page from "Rejsedagbog," Johan Thomas Lundbye’s travel journal from 1845, a drawing in ink on paper. It looks like mostly text. I'm curious; with such intimate content, how can we consider this work through the lens of materials and process? What stands out to you? Curator: Consider the materiality of the page itself – the pulp of the paper, the weave, how it interacts with the ink. Lundbye painstakingly inscribed these pages. The labor involved transforms mundane materials into a document, both personal and potentially public. Editor: I see your point. The journal format, readily available materials, are elevated by his focused hand. So the social context and method of production are actually very intertwined here, right? Curator: Precisely. This wasn’t high art intended for a gallery; it was a tool, a workspace, but also a means of shaping his experience, both material and intellectual. Consider the ink itself, how readily available was it? Was it homemade or store-bought? Who produced it and under what conditions? Editor: Wow. I never thought about the actual making of the ink. That does open up many questions related to the socioeconomics of art production at that time. Curator: Indeed. Even the act of writing itself becomes a form of labor, transforming thoughts into a tangible object through a physical, material process. How might class structure influenced the artist’s access to art making materials in this historical time period? Editor: It makes me reconsider my assumptions about artistic creation. Focusing on the materials reveals a deeper engagement with society and labor than I initially imagined. Curator: Absolutely. It reframes the artwork. We get more insight by shifting our understanding from aesthetics to the act of making itself.