Illustration til "Hanen og tophønen" 1883 - 1887

Curator: This is Waldemar Bøhme's "Illustration til "Hanen og tophønen"," a drawing, print and pencil piece, completed sometime between 1883 and 1887. It's currently held here at the SMK. What's your immediate reaction? Editor: The composition immediately strikes me; the steep perspective creates a confined, almost claustrophobic feeling. The muted tones of the pencil add to that sense of intimacy. Curator: The illustration accompanied a specific literary work; consider that through Bøhme's rendering, we see the female figure navigating what seems like an attic space, carrying both a lantern and a pail. Think of the historical roles often assigned to women. Do you believe her upward climb suggests any specific commentary? Editor: There is a clear formal tension created by the contrast between the darker upper body and the lighter lower one. The geometric forms of the surrounding architecture point inward to frame the woman's head as the focal point. Curator: The piece was created during a time when art increasingly engaged with the everyday lives of ordinary people. How might Bøhme be using the visual language of realism to comment on gender roles or social class in 19th-century Denmark? Is he reinforcing them, or is he subtly critiquing them? Editor: Interesting to consider. Notice how the stark lines of the rafters, drawn with sharp, deliberate strokes, contrast against the more softly rendered details of the woman's form. It evokes a powerful mood. Curator: Bøhme lived during a transitional period, so maybe he captures both constraints and the quiet persistence of women finding ways forward despite the societal expectations and limits they faced. Her determined gaze suggests a quiet defiance of those limitations. Editor: Perhaps. Regardless of its specific cultural references, what remains is a stark composition of line and form. It stands independently as a moving artistic experience. Curator: Right. So it is this relationship between the visual and the societal that grants this image such an interesting place in the collection here at SMK. Editor: Precisely. And whether viewed for its construction or context, this artwork continues to provide rich ground for contemplation.