En mand med et laterna magica viser et udgået stamtræ 1785 - 1788

Editor: This is "A man with a magic lantern shows an extinct family tree," a drawing by Nicolai Abildgaard made around 1785. It’s rendered in pencil and watercolor. The scene is so intriguing, this circle of light feels almost like a stage! How should we interpret what's being presented? Curator: The magic lantern was a powerful tool for shaping public opinion. Abildgaard here isn’t just depicting entertainment. Consider the period, the late 18th century, when anxieties around aristocracy and lineage were rising. What’s projected is not a thriving family tree, but an ‘extinct’ one. The artist might be commenting on the perceived decline or the eventual fall of the nobility. Do you think he's critiquing social structures? Editor: That’s fascinating, I hadn't thought about it that way! So the figures reaching for the projected image, are they yearning for a lost status? Curator: Precisely. It evokes a longing, perhaps for a past era or a system of inherited privilege that is fading. How do you see the choice of a drawing, rather than a painting, impacting the message? Editor: It makes it feel more immediate, less formal – almost like a political cartoon! I’d assumed the magic lantern show was pure entertainment but I now see how Abildgaard uses it to question the existing order. Curator: Indeed, it reminds us that art is always engaged in a dialogue with society and its power structures. I also find this experimentation interesting and how it can take different forms, just by using diverse lines! Editor: I never thought I would be that intrigued about the artist intention and choices to show and expose in public what might be expected from this social and cultural background. Thanks for pointing that out.