Udskibning af kreaturer fra Kastrups havn 1896

Curator: Theodor Philipsen's 1896 pen and ink drawing, "Udskibning af kreaturer fra Kastrups havn," which translates to "Shipping Cattle from Kastrup Harbor," offers a fascinating snapshot of everyday life. Editor: It's stark. The immediate impression is of labor—of transferring these beasts and, in turn, transferring value. You can almost hear the animals' anxiety. Curator: Indeed. And within its seeming simplicity lies a nuanced commentary. Note the deliberate contrast: the penned, linear renderings of the animals themselves, versus the almost scribbled chaos above and around them, denoting the harbor activity. Considering how industrialization shifted labor in this period, the piece visualizes animals reduced to their materials by labor for trade. Editor: Yes, the quick, almost frantic lines of the pen speak to the fast-changing relationship between labor and materials in production. The drawing style echoes the accelerated pace of the harbor activities themselves, suggesting the precarity of life inherent in animal lives being sent out to sea as cargo. What would the working class, too, soon be turned into? Curator: It really invites you to ask how structures of control play out—not only for the animals depicted but within broader structures of inequality. This particular harbor saw Denmark embrace globalization in the 19th century. Editor: Absolutely, the bare materials emphasize that change; with the swift lines it’s almost like Philipsen seeks to show just how transient industrial power can be—existing in flux within social memory. Curator: It’s this precise awareness, embedded in the humble genre-painting theme, that makes Philipsen's work so relevant and powerful. I’m so interested in works such as this and what they bring to our contemporary political climate. Editor: Likewise, in reminding us of the cost and means by which human-made goods come into existence. Hopefully, looking at pieces such as Philipsen’s drawing leads to the disruption of supply chains as a response.