Liggende kvindefigur symboliserende den jødiske religion 1743 - 1809

Editor: So this is "Liggende kvindefigur symboliserende den jødiske religion," or "Reclining female figure symbolizing the Jewish religion," an ink and pen drawing by Nicolai Abildgaard from around 1743 to 1809. It feels… allegorical, academic. What catches your eye here? Curator: For me, it’s how Abildgaard engages with the visual language of power and religion in a rapidly changing socio-political landscape. The reclining figure, representative of Judaism, is itself a loaded symbol. The broken tablets behind her could be read in multiple ways, signaling a rupture or a call to repair. Editor: Repair? Curator: Absolutely. How do we grapple with representing a complex identity through a single, possibly fractured image? And to consider Abildgaard's position, a white European artist portraying the Jewish faith – whose perspective are we really seeing? Whose story is being told? Editor: That’s fascinating. The figure seems to almost be guarding the tablets. Maybe she’s not broken, just… vigilant? Curator: Precisely! The artist perhaps acknowledges Judaism's resilience amid historical erasure and antisemitism, even if inadvertently. But also, what does it mean to position her, this personification, as both reclining—suggesting rest, perhaps weakness—and yet also guarding? Editor: So it’s a dialogue, between strength and vulnerability, visibility and misrepresentation… It definitely makes me see it in a different light now. Thanks! Curator: And thank you. It’s crucial to keep interrogating these visual narratives, their power, and their potential for both harm and understanding.