Lili syr. Desuden Zephyr 1864

Lorenz Frølich created this pen and ink drawing titled 'Lili syr. Desuden Zephyr' sometime in the 19th century, and it now resides at the SMK in Copenhagen. The drawing presents a tripartite composition, each section delineated by strong vertical lines, and each telling its own story. On the left, a classical figure stands in contrapposto above a whimsical landscape. To the right, the middle section is dominated by inscribed words. The lower right quadrant frames an ordinary scene of a young girl seated on a chair. Frølich uses line and form to create a tension between the epic and the mundane, the mythological and the everyday. His work invites us to consider how the great narratives of mythology intersect with the intimate, personal stories of childhood. Are these panels in conversation? Does the juxtaposition destabilize the authority of the classical? The drawing functions as a cultural signifier reflecting how classical and contemporary life converge and diverge.