Ewalds minde 1748 - 1831

Curator: This engraving, titled "Ewalds minde", dates from between 1748 and 1831, and is by J.F. Clemens. It’s currently held here at the SMK, Statens Museum for Kunst. Editor: It's pretty! In a somber way, of course. Very romantic, like a memory in misty shades of gray. Are those… ghosts? Curator: Not ghosts, but rather allegorical figures. The print seems to commemorate someone, likely a writer, judging from the inscription and laurel wreath being placed upon the urn inscribed with the name "Ewald". This form of history painting served to enshrine cultural figures. Editor: That urn has real presence! You can almost smell the forest, and those stately women add to the drama. Do you think they knew Ewald, this departed notable? Curator: Perhaps not personally. Instead, these figures embody idealised concepts like remembrance or artistic inspiration. During this period, such imagery offered a way for the public to engage with ideas about national identity and cultural legacy. Editor: So it’s not necessarily about real grieving as such? It's like the stage-managed version of public emotion. Everything arranged to give the ‘correct’ feeling, right down to that strategically placed poem below! Curator: In a sense, yes. While individual grief may be private, monuments like these made it a civic affair, an expression of shared values. These prints played a part in circulating these values more broadly than could physical monuments alone. Editor: All those crossed lines giving depth, like it's caught between yesterday and forever…It feels like it wants me to learn something about myself, not just Ewald's achievements. Very clever! Curator: Indeed. And thinking about Clemens' choices gives us a view onto the society from which he came. What's deemed worth remembering and how that remembering happens… those questions tell us an enormous amount. Editor: And suddenly, old gray lines spring to life with colour. Always worth another look. Thanks!