Cort Adeler dræber den tyrkiske admiral 1762 - 1826

Curator: This coloured print from between 1762 and 1826, now in the collection of the SMK, is titled "Cort Adeler dræber den tyrkiske admiral," or, "Cort Adeler Kills the Turkish Admiral." Editor: My first thought is the composition: so theatrical, almost staged, like a propaganda play intended to reinforce national pride. The pale colours almost belie the violence of the scene. Curator: Right, Niels Truslew here employed the media of aquatint and coloured pencil in tandem. It is interesting how those decisions flatten and heighten the depicted space. You see that in the treatment of the smoke from the cannons blurring figures together into a singular chaotic event. How do these choices shape the meaning of the print for you? Editor: I am particularly drawn to the figure of Adeler standing over the admiral. Think about the power dynamics: the literal stamping of dominance. This act is then framed within a larger historical context of power and cultural conflict. What narrative of victory is being crafted and for whom? Curator: Agreed. The work’s reliance on relatively inexpensive printmaking methods and coloured pencil point to the social circulation of images, reaching wider audiences and shaping popular consciousness. The labor required for aquatint also must have required considerable craftsmanship—a combination of artisanal and reproductive techniques. Editor: Absolutely. Beyond just documenting a historical event, it embodies the construction of heroism and villainy along very clear national and cultural lines. It makes me reflect on who controls the narrative and whose stories get told, and what those choices reveal about broader societal power structures. Curator: I think approaching this print as a document of making and reproduction and its status as an accessible, circulating image complicates the typical understanding of 'high' art as singular or uniquely produced. It prompts me to investigate its multiple originalities through the labor that allowed this to occur. Editor: Yes, by acknowledging the multifaceted nature of a print like this, we confront art history's role in constructing and perpetuating potentially biased historical accounts and how material considerations affect it. Curator: A perfect ending to our little material and social examination here. Thanks! Editor: Indeed. I think considering artworks from varied perspectives allows for a much richer understanding of history.