Rejsedagbog 1845

Editor: This is a page from "Rejsedagbog," Johan Thomas Lundbye's travel journal from 1845, housed at the SMK. It seems to be a drawing, likely ink on paper, and the handwriting creates an intricate visual texture. It gives me a feeling of intimacy, as if intruding into the artist's private thoughts. What do you see in this piece beyond the immediate impression? Curator: As a materialist, my attention is drawn to the labor embedded within this miniature. Lundbye’s choice of a personal journal highlights a specific means of production: the slow, deliberate act of writing and sketching during travel. Consider the physical experience of creating this page – the pen, the ink, the quality of the paper, all influencing the mark-making. We must not divorce the aesthetic from these very practical elements, including their societal origin and use. Editor: That's an interesting take! I was focused more on the "Romanticism" tag and the feeling of personal reflection but didn’t think about the specific materials used. How does focusing on the materiality enhance our understanding of romanticism itself? Curator: By acknowledging the physical creation, we challenge the myth of the artist as solely divinely inspired. The ideas of Romanticism become mediated by earthly restrictions. For instance, access to quality paper or pigments may have been impacted by Lundbye’s social standing. Examining this challenges conventional boundaries, pushing “high art” ideals onto practical material consumption and its inequalities. How did the social element enable the artistic production of his time, I wonder? Editor: So, by looking at the journal itself, we are understanding more about the conditions and resources available to artists at the time, and that informs the work, right? Curator: Precisely. It invites us to think beyond the pure aesthetics, situating art within a broader context of material realities. A welcome invitation for more questions, wouldn’t you say? Editor: Yes! I'll definitely be paying more attention to materials now. It adds another dimension to interpreting art.