Skitse af monument med Poesiens Genius. Øverst på monumentet en vase 1743 - 1809

Curator: Welcome. We're looking at "Skitse af monument med Poesiens Genius. Øverst på monumentet en vase" – or "Sketch of a monument with the Genius of Poetry. At the top of the monument a vase". It’s a pencil drawing by Nicolai Abildgaard, likely created sometime between 1743 and 1809. Editor: You know, right away, it feels fragile, ethereal. Like a half-remembered dream about a really impressive fountain. All those thin lines. It feels... tentative, hopeful, you know? Curator: That hopeful feeling could stem from its Neoclassical style, a real architectural celebration of reason and order. It reminds us of classical forms being re-imagined to symbolize Enlightenment ideals. Look closely – the vase at the top is not just ornamentation. It’s loaded with symbolic potential. The vase represents, like, the vessel of human experience, containing everything that poetry then articulates and transforms into art. Editor: A vessel of experience…That resonates. See how the figure, probably that 'Genius of Poetry,' is kind of enclosed, almost sheltered? But there’s also a yearning implied by her position, or, is it a her? The being is androgynous to say the least! It’s as if poetry is this inner sanctum that has to be protected to bear fruit! Curator: Indeed, the protective architectural elements—that sheltering alcove and that supporting plinth—are so characteristically Neoclassical. This emphasizes a separation, a space where genius can operate. Abildgaard appears fascinated by architecture. Editor: Makes you think about all those dusty odes written in candlelit studies. The pressure to fill that vase, eh? Must be enormous. I suppose if genius were easy everyone would be at it! Curator: Abildgaard positions poetry as something almost reverential through this design. He does it through composition and medium! Imagine this rendered in full scale – in marble. How impressive! Editor: Yeah! Pencil to marble...quite the leap! So this fragile drawing proposes a big public statement. But there's beauty in the initial sketch. Curator: Absolutely, both exist within a poetic realm! It makes you think about inspiration, right? Before it assumes material form and becomes "fixed." Editor: This drawing captured a beautiful fleeting moment… Thanks for pointing that out. Curator: My pleasure.