"Apotekeren" 1778 - 1780

Curator: Here we have "Apotekeren" – that's "The Apothecary" in English– an engraving created by Georg Christian Schule around 1778-1780. It’s held here at the SMK, the Statens Museum for Kunst. Editor: It's striking, isn't it? There's a real sense of grotesque humor to it. The disproportionate features, the forced perspective… it all creates a very peculiar, unsettling feeling. Curator: Absolutely. Caricature as a form really flourished during this period, fueled by increasingly accessible printing technologies and growing social and political awareness. This print is interesting as it reflects societal attitudes towards professions and those who held power within the medical system. Editor: What can you tell us about those attitudes and how this artwork situates itself within its political context? What socio-cultural critiques are made here? Curator: Apothecaries were often viewed with a mix of skepticism and fear. Access to medicine was fraught with class implications. Remember this is the late 1700s – think limited understanding of disease, coupled with potentially dangerous remedies. This engraving exaggerates these anxieties and perhaps makes broader comments about power structures in place during the Baroque era. Editor: And the figure himself – hunched over, the giant syringe, the unattended brewing vessel…it’s almost symbolic. There’s a lack of control, perhaps? A chaotic energy about him despite his apparent position of authority. Curator: Precisely. Consider the power dynamic – the apothecary held life in his hands, so to speak. This image potentially plays with those anxieties. Also consider the symbolism inherent in his exaggerated features as reflective of biases from those outside of elite social groups at the time. Editor: It’s remarkable how effectively a simple engraving can encapsulate so many social commentaries. It invites you to delve into this cultural landscape and really interrogate ideas about health, class and privilege. Curator: Agreed. And seeing works like this prompts me to further study the period in Danish history and ask what visual narratives it promotes. Editor: Indeed. "Apotekeren" delivers lasting impressions to further understand complex topics.