Dagbog. Side 104 1844

Curator: Welcome. Let’s take a closer look at “Dagbog. Side 104,” a page from Johan Thomas Lundbye’s diary created in 1844. The artwork resides at the SMK, the Statens Museum for Kunst. It's ink on paper, so a rather intimate piece. Editor: My first impression? Dense. It feels like I'm peering into someone's tightly packed thoughts, almost overwhelming, yet the script has this elegance…almost airy. Curator: Indeed, it’s brimming with thoughts, written in Danish script. Lundbye, remember, was a prominent Golden Age painter, celebrated for his landscapes. But here, we find him in this quite personal act. Editor: Is it that personal? To me, it’s more like watching thoughts on paper, the ebb and flow, as he tries to give shape and substance. But it’s hard to glean anything specific just from a glance—even my Danish isn’t good enough to grasp the meaning. Curator: You’re right, diving into its full meaning requires linguistic skill! Still, notice how he meticulously records each word, lending everything importance. Perhaps the very act of writing, the formation of each letter, was his way of observing. He gives weight to things unseen and transient in ordinary existence. Editor: But wouldn't you agree the aesthetic aspect, the script’s physical formation, holds its own kind of allure regardless of content? The curving strokes, the consistent rhythm—it almost resembles abstract art. I see in it an emotional depth emerging less from any one subject and more from overall arrangement and design of the letter forms on the page. Curator: I do see that. It almost reads as music might, something sonorous and structured but emotionally open to feeling, even longing. Thank you, that’s a wonderful consideration as we move on. Editor: My pleasure; I find myself somehow more drawn to art the more subjective the viewpoint offered, actually!