Malkende pige i en lysning mellem træer. 1844

P.C. Skovgaard, a towering figure in Danish Golden Age painting, made this study of trees in a clearing with pencil and grey wash. Skovgaard’s commitment to depicting the Danish landscape stemmed from a desire to define a unique national identity during a time of political and cultural transformation. He saw the landscape as a mirror reflecting the soul of the Danish people. "It is through nature that we can truly understand ourselves and our place in the world,” he said. Yet, this search for identity often came with elisions. While Skovgaard celebrated the land, the lives and labor of those who worked it were frequently absent from his idyllic scenes. This raises questions about whose identity was truly being represented and whose stories were being left out. Note the emotional depth Skovgaard evokes through subtle shifts in tone and composition. This artwork invites us to reflect on the complex relationship between landscape, identity, and representation.