Illustration til Christian Winther, "Chresten og Lene" 1889 - 1926

Curator: This is Waldemar Böhme’s etching, “Illustration til Christian Winther, ‘Chresten og Lene’,” dating between 1889 and 1926. It's currently held here at the SMK, Statens Museum for Kunst. What’s your initial impression? Editor: It feels like a daydream spun from lead. All this delicate etching... a kind of whimsical seriousness, you know? A shepherdess, a little severe almost, then this cavalcade of livestock spilling off the page. I’m intrigued. Curator: Böhme’s choices around material production speak to this whimsical seriousness you mention. The labor-intensive process of etching itself creates a kind of tension, between the accessible, folksy scene and the refined, high-art medium. This also reminds of bookmaking processes at that time. Editor: Absolutely. There's a fairy-tale quality undermined by the work evident in the lines, right? The "stop" sign near the pigs... is that humour or an accusation? Curator: Possibly both. The consumption of rural imagery was increasingly popular, this might subtly challenge the romantic ideals it presents by framing rural life in a materialist context. What about the formal aspects of this piece strikes you? Editor: That relentless downward pull—visually leading the eye to this earthy reality that’s more pigsty than pasture, and then to that sign. Curator: It's almost comical how many subjects of animal there are on the composition. Didactic but with levity, perhaps a call to simplicity with a dash of playfulness? Editor: Yes! It also captures something essential about stories: How narratives spill and lead and sometimes point to unexpected conclusions or blunt endings, a “Stop” to all whimsy! Curator: In short, Waldemar Böhme presents a multi-layered artwork by using the processes available to him while at the same time examining pastoral iconography, so that this Illustration challenges our understanding. Editor: Indeed, it’s an echo of the old made new again by clever placement and artistic handling of expectations, leading us into delightful uncertainty.