Omslag til Nytårsvers 1806 - 1810

Curator: Welcome. Let's discuss this interesting piece: "Omslag til Nytårsvers," a print attributed to Oluf Olufsen Bagge, created sometime between 1806 and 1810. Editor: My first thought is the duality immediately strikes me; two scenes presented side-by-side like panels in a diptych. It feels intentionally balanced, but somehow also disconnected in its subject matter. Curator: Absolutely. On one side, we have a classical allegorical figure, likely representing the passing year with floral imagery in that overflowing basket. It speaks to a rich symbolic vocabulary tied to neoclassical art. On the other side, there are women in flowing robes. Do you find that the grouping also calls back to classical friezes in any way? Editor: Without a doubt. These figures, presumably representing different aspects of society or perhaps even the seasons or virtues, create an interesting conversation about who participates in celebrating a new year and under what conditions. I mean, are these universal images, or culturally specific? Curator: That is where I see neoclassicism at play—a deliberate move to present the figures as universal and timeless ideals. But notice how it also intersects with the emerging printmaking practices, the sharp line quality and the precision? A means of circulating imagery widely that allowed to promote such universal ideals. Editor: Right. The technique itself mirrors that aspiration. And thinking about New Year's specifically, who had access to celebrate in that way? The references might seem innocuous, but they certainly re-enforce an idea of social cohesion at play with certain exclusion dynamics in that time frame, don't they? Curator: Such works also reveal the power of allegories. By cloaking contemporary themes in the guise of classical imagery, artists could safely deliver subtle critiques or commentary. A festive yet, perhaps, charged image. Editor: Exactly! It is never simply a benign greeting. I wonder about Bagge and what this commentary might have signaled within elite, perhaps academic circles? These details would be illuminating if we could locate correspondence of his that could bring this image's symbolic weight to light even further. Curator: Precisely! The imagery holds encoded information which may prove relevant to the understanding of the era itself. Editor: Well, looking closely has helped me to see that New Year's isn't always just confetti and well wishes. I look at the coming of New Year with more questions, certainly! Curator: For me, the ability to distill complex ideas through elegant symbolic figures underscores the enduring legacy of Neoclassical art in expressing core cultural values and ideas even during social shifts and changes. Thank you.