Jesus og de 12 apostle: Thomas 1566 - 1654

Curator: Just look at this drawing. There's a quiet, contemplative feel about it, isn’t there? Like a half-remembered dream. Editor: Indeed. What we're looking at is a pencil drawing entitled 'Jesus og de 12 apostle: Thomas,' or 'Jesus and the 12 Apostles: Thomas,' by Matthäus Gundelach. It’s currently housed at the SMK, Statens Museum for Kunst, and dates back to sometime between 1566 and 1654. Curator: Those smoky, soft lines...they create this almost ethereal presence, you know? He looks weighed down, but peaceful at the same time. What's your reading of him? Editor: Given the period and the subject matter, I read the image as one reflecting the heavy burden of religious dogma prevalent at the time. Artists in that era weren't just making art; they were reinforcing religious narratives, visualizing concepts of faith and doubt for a largely illiterate public. Thomas, the doubting apostle, embodies that struggle. Curator: Hmm, I see your point. But I also see vulnerability. He’s looking down, almost ashamed. The loose robes kind of cling to him as he slouches which almost seem to mimic the fallibility that we carry within ourselves, doubting what can’t be understood. Perhaps Gundelach was grappling with his own uncertainties, projecting them onto the Apostle. Editor: It's tempting to ascribe individual doubt onto Gundelach, but art of this period served less as personal confession and more as public proclamation. The drawing likely was intended to emphasize the necessity of faith overcoming doubt, something especially important amidst the religious wars of the time. Curator: A powerful point, it definitely highlights the period. But I will stick to my perspective that he looks like the artist's intimate dialogue with the challenges of certainty. Editor: And I am reminded that Art can mean different things to each person. Each individual has a story behind a new observation. It's like we have only scratched the surface of the many different meanings of the Gundelach. Curator: Precisely! And now, it is our visitor’s turn to engage with that artistic conversation.