Rejsedagbog 1846

Curator: Here we have "Rejsedagbog," or Travel Journal, created in 1846 by Johan Thomas Lundbye. It's a small, intimate drawing done with ink on paper and from the Romanticism era. Initially, I'm struck by the density of the handwriting; it gives the work a feeling of enclosure and private thought. What catches your eye? Editor: The sheer amount of text is fascinating. It almost feels less like a journal and more like… art, in itself. All this meticulous writing. How do you interpret this work within its historical and cultural context? What was Lundbye trying to achieve? Curator: Lundbye was a Danish Golden Age painter, so travel and documenting impressions were part of the artistic life at the time. Now, let’s just consider the fact that he's on the move, likely soaking in Italian light and life—he's recording the journey, the everyday… Do you think he’s carefully crafting each word or capturing spontaneous impressions? Editor: That's a good question. I think maybe a combination? The entries are dated so clearly, but then it feels so stream-of-consciousness when you look closely. Also, this journal is at the SMK now – how would that have resonated back then? Curator: Museums were starting to come into their own in the mid-19th century; there's a growing sense of national identity to preserve heritage – the journal allows us now, just like back then, to experience places that most people wouldn't be able to visit. In that sense, it becomes a stand-in for collective experience! Editor: This really gives me a different appreciation for personal documents like journals. Now it almost feels like Lundbye is writing for us, future audiences, as much as for himself. Curator: Precisely! He's preserved not only visual details, but his sensory experience, almost creating an archive of the senses for us to access!