Dørparti i underste stokværk, set udefra 1790s

Curator: What strikes me most immediately about this image is its quiet solemnity. Editor: That’s interesting. Actually, Nicolai Abildgaard created this drawing, "Door Section in the Lower Stokvæerk, Seen From Outside", sometime in the 1790s. We find it in the collection of the SMK, the National Gallery of Denmark. Curator: Yes, solemnity—the precise symmetry and muted palette seem to speak of stability, even permanence. And that repetition of rectangular forms…is this an embrace of neoclassicism? Editor: Absolutely. The image evokes Neoclassicism but I suspect the artist would have intended something more like stability – remember that in the latter part of the 1700’s revolution and upheaval in the name of "liberty" and the rejection of monarchic rule would have been at its peak in both continental Europe and on the North American continent. Abildgaard would be offering images of authority to push back. The clean lines, geometric purity – this architectural drawing offers order amidst the socio-political disorder of the time. Curator: These rounded windows juxtaposed against right angles offer a psychological haven, the grid pattern suggests control, but then softened by the circular motifs – hinting at, or inviting an unknown energy that balances power dynamics in that structure. It feels incredibly…considered. Editor: The use of watercolor gives it an approachable, dare I say democratic air that seems almost… optimistic? Do you perceive it similarly? Curator: I don't find optimism per se, however. If the symbols of authority appear "optimistic" it suggests to me it’s with great determination to endure a world on the brink. What materials were typically used during the period to make windows that still give a sense of light and air? Editor: This isn't so much about the qualities of construction; it is instead a depiction of enduring architecture! We might imagine it in use. Let’s look more closely at the visual representation…the lack of surface texture suggests to me, less natural material and more to me is an idealized place that we all want to enter – the stairs and the windows giving you access! Curator: Interesting. A sense of the universal and the particular both informing each other! Thank you. Editor: Indeed. That dialogue gives even more resonance to a piece seemingly so straightforward.