To studier af muldyr, et med oppakning 1845

This drawing of mules, one with baggage, was made by Johan Thomas Lundbye, probably using graphite pencil on paper. Lundbye has captured these beasts of burden with a delicate touch, yet the subject is anything but precious. The quick, light lines speak to a direct encounter, as though Lundbye encountered the mules on his travels, or perhaps at a market, and rapidly sketched them in his notebook. Consider the lives of these animals, born into labor. They are rendered here with a certain dignity. Lundbye’s sensitivity is evident in the close attention he pays to their musculature. The perspective on display here reflects the period’s interest in quickly capturing reality through the medium of pencil on paper. This artwork, and so many others, remind us that all art is connected to the everyday – either celebrating it, or offering an escape. The division between 'high' and 'low' art often dissolves on closer inspection.