Vers. Side 37 1840 - 1844

This is “Vers. Side 37,” an artwork of unknown date by Johan Thomas Lundbye, currently located at the SMK in Denmark. It seems to be a page from a notebook, covered in dense, handwritten text, likely a poem or literary fragment. Lundbye was working during a key period of Danish history, a time of rising nationalism and cultural self-definition. The writing on the page becomes more than just text; it’s a visual assertion of Danish language and identity. The act of writing itself, particularly in the native tongue, was charged with political and cultural meaning, as Denmark sought to distinguish itself. To fully understand the artwork, a historian might delve into archives of 19th-century Danish literature, exploring the themes and styles prevalent at the time. We might also examine the journals and personal writings of Lundbye himself. By understanding the historical and institutional contexts, we can see how the artwork reflects the complex interplay between art, identity, and nationhood.