Illustration til Alfred Tennyson "Enoch Arden" 1893

Johannes Holbek created this illustration for Alfred Tennyson’s "Enoch Arden" using pencil and paper. Holbek, who died at the young age of 30, was working at a time when artists grappled with modern life. This piece speaks to those tensions. Here, we see figures nestled within a rugged landscape, a couple in the center and a lone figure above. The drawing illustrates the Victorian poem about a sailor lost at sea and his wife's difficult decision to remarry. The woman appears caught between the expectation of finding love and the societal constraints that limit her choices. Holbek uses stark lines and contrasts to emphasize the emotional weight of the narrative, mirroring the personal struggles faced by many during a period of immense social change. The image invites us to consider how individuals navigate love, duty, and the unknown. It echoes the complex negotiations between personal desire and social expectation, then and now.