Rejsedagbog. Amsterdam 1846

This page of a travel journal was created by Johan Thomas Lundbye, a 19th-century Danish artist. Look closely, and you'll notice the recurring motif of language. The very act of writing, Lundbye's chosen medium for this travelogue, is itself a powerful symbol. The written word has always been a means to capture, preserve, and transmit ideas across time. In ancient cultures, writing was often associated with divine knowledge and power, as seen in Egyptian hieroglyphs and Mesopotamian cuneiform. The dense, almost illegible script mirrors the artist's inner thoughts and observations. It reminds us of the act of encoding experiences, much like how a painter translates the world onto canvas. The act of journaling is a cyclical process—reflecting, recording, and revisiting. Lundbye's journey, documented here, is echoed in the endless journey of symbols that travel through our collective consciousness, constantly re-emerging with new resonance.