Illustration til Grundtvig: "Den signede dag" 1887 - 1891

Curator: This is an etching created between 1887 and 1891, "Illustration til Grundtvig: 'Den signede dag'," housed here at the SMK. Editor: It’s wonderfully evocative, I must say. The stark contrast of the etching gives the scene a solemn, almost melancholic feel. Curator: Well, in looking at it through the lens of Romanticism, it’s tempting to analyze the iconography present, such as the tree, windblown but still holding on and how that may reflect 19th-century Europe's rapidly changing social landscape, the flight of an eagle away from some clouds, and what such images mean in conjunction with text beneath it from a poem written by a influential, cultural, and, politically, powerful poet. Editor: That intersectional analysis provides an invaluable lens. But what about Grundtvig's poetry itself, though? Isn't it essentially nation-building literature, aimed at fostering Danish identity and cultural pride? Curator: Precisely. This illustration isn't just decorative. It actively participates in that cultural project, grounding abstract ideals of nationhood in the tangible symbols of nature. The landscape itself becomes a site of identity formation and cultural reinforcement. What sociopolitical norms are on display? What does such naturalistic renderings suggest? Editor: That prompts an essential inquiry: who has the ability to "see" or experience that idyllic landscape and identify with that national narrative, while understanding that that particular access may come at the expense of disenfranchising and excluding various individuals. We see a nationalistic narrative constructed in visual culture. But also what’s lost in translation? What's in frame? Out of frame? Curator: Indeed. It becomes an arena where narratives of belonging and exclusion are negotiated and reinforced. Editor: In short, "Illustration til Grundtvig: 'Den signede dag'" invites viewers to probe the connection of nature, culture, identity, and the nuanced politics involved in artistic depictions of national narratives. Curator: A dialogue that, through art, illuminates a deeper understanding of our socio-cultural and political realities.