Prospect taget ved Indgangen af Friederichsberg Hauge i Aaret 1786 1786

Curator: Georg Christian Schule’s 1786 engraving, "Prospect taget ved Indgangen af Friederichsberg Hauge i Aaret 1786," offers us a glimpse into a leisurely scene. It resides here at the SMK. What strikes you first? Editor: An immediate sensation of structured tranquility…like being inside a very orderly dream. There's a palpable sense of calm and poised theatricality to it, and I'm quite curious as to where its narrative tends to meander. Curator: Narrative meandering indeed. You’ve pinpointed it; this cityscape, this genre scene, has qualities that resemble history paintings with touches of neoclassicism. Do you see any visual motifs or symbolic elements that catch your eye? Editor: Definitely the topiary structures on either side—they resemble gates, but made of living green! Talk about imposing your will on nature, using it as a sort of societal boundary or decorative framing. And the round temple in the center is just exquisite. Together, these symbols create a perfect neoclassical moment! It creates this idea that one’s immediate natural surroundings were a way of symbolizing order in both civic life and private conduct. Curator: That's a beautiful read. Consider also how Schule renders each figure with precision; even in print form, you feel the texture of fabric, the set of a gaze, the gentle posture…each gesture implying complex social dynamics at play. It makes one think about the role of printmaking in circulating those ideals far and wide. Editor: Absolutely! And the act of engraving itself, with its linear precision, mirrors that very controlled vision of the world, as though existence were neatly plotted. There are, however, figures standing on the edges and not fully participating; perhaps that hints at the underlying complexities present even during what might superficially seem like a golden age of tranquility and abundance. Curator: And in this quiet, perfectly manicured tableau, there are tiny dogs—imperfect, natural, loyal—perhaps, a subtle commentary on life's uncontrollable elements amidst manufactured calm. Well, after spending some time here in 1786, perhaps we ought to wander forward. What do you take away from this landscape? Editor: That a single image, even one depicting polite society, can hold a mirror to deeper, often unspoken anxieties of an age, always hiding in plain sight in those tiny details. It asks so many intriguing questions…