To ænder i en sø, nær bredden med enkelte siv og stynet piletræ. F.n. en rotte og studie af et rottehoved 1847

Editor: We are looking at a pen drawing by Johan Thomas Lundbye, titled “Two Figures in Uniform”, from 1847. It's a sketch featuring studies of uniformed figures, and I’m struck by how formal yet unfinished it feels. What story do you think this drawing is telling? Curator: This work offers an interesting intersection for thinking about power, identity, and representation in 19th-century Denmark. What does it mean to see studies of military figures during a period marked by nationalistic fervor and social change? Editor: So, you are suggesting we should consider the political context of the time. Were uniforms loaded symbols of power? Curator: Precisely! Think about the function of a uniform: it simultaneously asserts individuality – signaling rank and affiliation – and effaces it by demanding conformity to a specific code. Lundbye's choice to depict these figures, even in a preliminary sketch, raises questions about how military service and national identity were being constructed and negotiated. Where does power lie? Editor: That’s a fascinating angle. I hadn’t thought about the tension between individual identity and collective identity as represented by the uniform. Do you think he was consciously engaging with those ideas, or was he simply doing studies? Curator: Consciously or not, his artistic choices contribute to a broader discourse about social roles, power structures, and national belonging. His gaze could be one of complicity, of celebration, or even of critique. Where do you think that line of thought would take us? Editor: I see what you mean. Reflecting on the context definitely adds a whole new layer to this drawing. Curator: Absolutely. This piece reminds us that art is never created in a vacuum. Considering the socio-political context opens a rich pathway for interpreting its significance. Editor: I've never thought of sketches as potential agents of socio-political narratives, it makes the study so much more intriguing.