Filosofien 1798 - 1801

Editor: We’re looking at Nicolai Abildgaard's "Filosofien," a watercolor and pencil drawing made between 1798 and 1801. The sketch is in warm browns and depicts a seated figure with intriguing details, like the winged headpiece and accompanying statuette. There's something about the incompleteness of the sketch, with its notations and figure studies, that makes it feel intimate. What catches your eye in this piece? Curator: What interests me is how Abildgaard uses classical allegory at a historical turning point. We’re at the tail end of the Enlightenment, observing its ideals confront revolutionary realities. Consider the figure of "Philosophy" herself: classically inspired, yet burdened by the small statue beside her. What does that juxtaposition of a guiding, powerful idea with perhaps the weight of history and the challenges of governance suggest to you? Is philosophy in the enlightenment truly capable of supporting political stability? Editor: I hadn't thought of it that way! The statue almost feels like a burden. Is that your reading or how the enlightenment philosophy relates with contemporary sociopolitical changes at that time? Curator: The two aren't mutually exclusive. Abildgaard, living through the Napoleonic wars, experienced first-hand the unfulfilled promises of reason. Doesn’t this piece ask us to examine how supposedly universal principles are applied, and who gets to define them? The incompleteness, as you pointed out, is perhaps an acknowledgement that these philosophical projects are always in process, always being renegotiated. Who are we as society, after all? Editor: So it is like Abildgaard asking a silent question to society? Curator: Exactly! Abildgaard's work urges us to be critical and aware. It has offered some valuable insights into what we, the audiences, seek in arts. Editor: This piece certainly gives a different way of perceiving philosophical ideas in society, I can’t look at it the same way again. Curator: Art invites critical thought, which I believe it acheived today.