The Writer Johan Ludvig Heiberg 1860

Curator: Staring directly at us is a marble sculpture crafted in 1860 by H.W. Bissen titled, *The Writer Johan Ludvig Heiberg.* I am immediately struck by the intensity of his gaze. It’s almost unsettling, as if he sees right through me. Editor: It has a neoclassical air about it, very serious, very proper, that sort of upstanding man. The stark white marble lends itself to that, that cool, almost distant aura. The work has a rather interesting way of commanding attention to itself, by subtly inviting its audience into intimate dialogues on authorship and spectatorship in its spatial surroundings. Curator: Exactly! It's not just a face; it’s an interrogation. Bissen really captured that essence, that almost unnerving focus that Heiberg, as a writer, undoubtedly possessed. There is almost this haunting sensation to its stillness and composure! Do you notice how alive this work makes you feel even to this day? Editor: It makes me think of how the writer embodies societal influence. He’s not just anyone, draped in what seems like classical garb—almost toga-esque. It signals power, knowledge, authority. And with what we know today, there are always conversations to be had when concerning ideas of access and freedom in expressing, understanding, or contextualizing what this power ultimately signifies and/or reproduces in society, and to whom. It's such a fraught and potent legacy for Heiberg! Curator: And beautifully fraught it is too! You know, gazing at this piece makes me reflect upon the act of artistic creation itself. Did Heiberg himself gaze like this, intensely observant and reflective of Bissen as he crafted this image? It is almost like two mirrors facing one another reflecting off endless expressions of thought. Editor: Well, perhaps in critiquing Bissen's composition, Heiberg's image might then serve as an active testament to an awareness of these very same political implications that the process entails. Perhaps if we continue analyzing his life's work and trajectory alongside Bissen's sculpture, we'll unravel the meaning-making enterprise of its cultural presence, as an artwork situated here and now. What an exercise! Curator: And quite a stimulating piece for consideration as well. It reminds me that we must continue looking to the past, like Heiberg gazed on Bissen, but continue envisioning forward and pushing towards what these objects are yet to tell us!