Blank. Side 112 1840 - 1844

Editor: Here we have "Blank. Side 112," a drawing on paper by Johan Thomas Lundbye from 1840 to 1844. It’s a spread from a sketchbook, with one side blank and the other filled with delicate handwriting. What do you make of this drawing in relation to materiality? Curator: Immediately, the focus goes to the very process of making art, or in this case, choosing not to. The raw materials are presented bare: the paper, the binding. How was this paper sourced? What was the labor involved in creating this book? It speaks volumes about the accessibility, or inaccessibility, of artistic materials in that period. Editor: That's fascinating! I hadn't considered the book itself as a product of labor. Curator: Consider the social context, too. Who had the privilege of accessing such sketchbooks? Lundbye was creating landscapes— a Romantic trope. But, the book's materiality hints at something deeper, wouldn’t you agree? The clean blank side offers stark contrast with the writing on the right side of the notebook. Does this potentially comment on ideas and labor or consumption? Editor: It really changes my perception of Romanticism, usually seen as purely about idealized nature. Viewing it through this material lens reveals social and economic dimensions I'd never considered. I can start to see how the very act of acquiring materials plays into the artist's statement. Curator: Precisely! And challenging that distinction between "high art" and the means to produce that art. Looking at "Blank. Side 112" not as a failed sketch but as evidence of production, a testament to labor is, perhaps, its strongest statement. Editor: Wow, I’ll never look at a sketchbook the same way again. Thank you. Curator: The pleasure was all mine! This Materialist reading encourages one to be thoughtful about what might seem commonplace.