Gottlieb Bindesbøll 1840s

Curator: Here we have a lithograph portrait of Gottlieb Bindesbøll, created in the 1840s. This print is part of the collection at the SMK, the National Gallery of Denmark. Editor: The immediate impression? Serious chap! A very intense gaze, wouldn’t you say? It’s almost…staring into my soul. And so precise, so detailed for a print! Curator: Indeed. It exemplifies academic art and its commitment to realism, and as such, served the aims of institutions to capture likenesses and promote figures. The lithographic medium allowed for relatively easy reproduction, which served a function of making him—and those who collected his image—part of a wider conversation about architecture and nation building. Editor: Building up architectural giants brick by brick. I’m curious about the artist's choice of medium here. Why lithography? Was it simply accessibility, or does the medium somehow enhance the man’s character? There's a certain coolness to it, a detached objectivity almost…very Nordic, don't you think? Curator: Lithography at this time did both: aided in accessibility and shaped the reception of the image. While a painted portrait might imply patronage and high status, the print democratized access. Bindesbøll's impact was obviously considerable. Editor: So it's less about individual brilliance and more about public impact then? Like architectural plans made visible! It makes me think about what kind of monuments we’re building, the images we're circulating today. Does any of it measure up? Are our architectural monuments as enduring, our images as honest? Food for thought. Curator: Precisely. And as a historian, I find it valuable to question which figures get memorialized through artistic representations. Gottlieb Bindesbøll's legacy and image serves a very important function to understand Danish cultural history, even today. Editor: Well, from my perspective, standing here looking at this chap’s intense stare, he got his message across, loud and clear. If this print can spark a question about our choices as vividly today, that's a solid win.