De to venner 1845

Editor: So this is "De to venner," or "The Two Friends," a lithograph from 1845 by Adolph Kittendorff, currently housed at the SMK. It depicts two dogs nestled together. It's really charming, quite realistic for its time... almost folksy. What stands out to you in this piece? Curator: Immediately, I'm drawn to the process of lithography itself. Consider the labor involved in creating the matrix, grinding the stone, preparing the inks… Each step reflects a material reality. This print, ostensibly a genre scene, reveals more about the social and economic context of art production in 19th century Denmark. Do you see how the seeming simplicity actually masks a complex relationship between the artist, the materials, and the intended consumer? Editor: That's interesting! I hadn’t really considered the physical process so much. I was thinking more about the sentimentality of the image. Curator: Sentimentality, yes, but within a market! Prints like these made art more accessible. This seemingly humble image connects directly to broader trends of industrialization and the commodification of art. Consider the paper it's printed on, where it came from. Was it locally sourced or imported? Every material tells a story of trade and labor. Editor: So you're saying the focus isn't just on the dogs’ friendship, but on the making of the print and how it circulated? Curator: Precisely. The "friendship" is almost secondary to the materiality of the work and its existence as a purchasable object. How many impressions were made? Who was the target audience? These questions reveal the artwork’s function within a burgeoning market economy. Editor: I never thought about art in quite that way before – the tangible making of the piece beyond its message. Curator: It’s a perspective that grounds art history in real-world conditions. We begin to see art not just as an expression of individual genius, but as a product of labor and materials within a specific social and economic landscape.