St. St. Blicher 1880 - 1884

Curator: So, this is "St. St. Blicher," a drawing, or perhaps a print made from a drawing, dating from 1880 to 1884. A bit of a stern-looking fellow, wouldn't you say? Editor: Yes, definitely serious! It's finely detailed, and even though it’s a simple portrait in pencil, the artist captures so much about the sitter's character. What stands out to you in this piece? Curator: I'm drawn to the almost contradictory feeling it evokes. Here’s this man, presumably someone of importance to have his portrait made, but the medium – a simple pencil drawing – and the slightly rumpled glasses perched atop his head, lend a certain…approachability. It almost humanizes him, don't you think? Strips away some of the expected pomp of portraiture. Editor: That’s a great point. The glasses do give him a very real, everyday feel. But how does it connect to the time it was made, or what do we know about Blicher himself? Curator: Good question. Blicher was a Danish poet and author, known for his stories about rural life in Jutland. The drawing itself was made posthumously by Christian Vilhelm Dühren based on an older drawing done when Blicher was alive. The little poem and Blicher's signature that you see are probably also copied from an earlier time. Consider, then, how this image functioned as a nostalgic tribute, decades after his death, for later generations. A means of remembering him. Editor: So, it's more than just a likeness; it's a cultural artifact about remembrance. It almost transforms the person depicted into a cultural emblem. Curator: Precisely! See how it shifts once we think of its wider role? Art can act as memorial. Food for thought! Editor: Definitely! I had no idea there were so many layers beneath a simple portrait. Curator: The best art always hides a story, waiting to be uncovered. And the magic is that, perhaps, we have only scratched the surface.