Fogeden til hest, i spidsen for Anholt-hæren 1770 - 1772

Curator: This engraving, dating from 1770 to 1772, is entitled "Fogeden til hest, i spidsen for Anholt-hæren." It's the work of J.F. Clemens and it's currently housed at the SMK, the Statens Museum for Kunst. Editor: My initial response is bewilderment, almost a cartoonish parody of power. The linear quality creates a real sense of staged unreality. But what a strange, almost satirical parade. What do you make of this unusual scene? Curator: Clemens certainly captured a sense of organized chaos. Consider how he used tight hatching to define form and convey texture. Observe the strategic use of light and shadow, how the darkest areas create focal points within this highly active composition. Editor: For me, the cultural symbols are rich. A mock army, led by figures on horseback brandishing swords, but these are figures of supposed authority—almost comical. What power do these characters wield? Their importance in popular cultural history is the clue. Curator: Exactly. Look closely at the architectural setting, almost naively depicted, to serve merely as a backdrop. The entire structure directs your eye back to the procession, thus cementing their presence as the key focus. Editor: Symbols, too, play a major role. Notice how some carry what looks like crude weapons or even children’s toys. It almost feels like a perversion of ritual; power stripped down and ridiculed. And yet, these caricatures hold the social keys? Curator: Yes, Clemens really distilled his rendering to bare lines, a high contrast between foreground activity and background simplicity to bring together a striking, complex tableau in relative microcosm. Editor: Well, the parade leaves a residue. Looking closely has certainly unearthed the deeper societal roots these symbols draw from—a stark contrast between surface and what that represents. Thank you, that changed my understanding!