Ruinfragmenter og cypresser 1730 - 1793

Jens Petersen Lund created this small drawing, “Ruinfragmenter og cypresser,” with ink on paper sometime in the 1700s. The ink, applied with a quill or fine brush, allows for precise lines and subtle gradations of tone. Notice how Lund coaxes a sense of three-dimensionality from the simple medium. He doesn't attempt to hide the hand-made quality of the work; indeed, the hatching and cross-hatching give it an almost diagrammatic quality. Consider this in relation to the subject: ruins. These were popular motifs in the 18th century because they suggest the passage of time and the transience of human ambition. Yet in rendering the scene so plainly, Lund seems to invite us to ponder not just the ruins themselves, but also the act of their representation. The drawing's humble materials and straightforward technique underscore the idea that even the grandest subjects can be brought down to earth through the act of making. It bridges the gap between the monumental and the intimate.