Studier af træer, planter o.a. 1840

Dankvart Dreyer made this drawing, “Studier af træer, planter o.a.” with pencil, sometime in the first half of the 19th century. Dreyer lived during the Danish Golden Age, a time of national romanticism, when artists turned to nature to define a unique cultural identity. You can see in this study, Dreyer’s delicate handling of pencil, a technique which captures the ephemeral qualities of light and shadow. During this time, the study of nature was not just about scientific accuracy, it was about finding an emotional and spiritual connection to the land. But who has access to that connection? Dreyer belonged to a privileged class, who had the leisure time to study nature. For those working the land, their relationship to nature was different, a struggle for survival. This drawing then, becomes a reflection of social structures, where access to nature's beauty was mediated by class. It invites us to consider who gets to define national identity and whose stories are often left out of the picture.