Landskab ved Roskilde Landevej 1849

Curator: Looking at this, I immediately think of the Romantic nationalist movements emerging in Europe at this time. The landscape feels intensely localized, and emphasizes nature as the heart of a people. Art Historian: Absolutely. This is "Landskab ved Roskilde Landevej," or "Landscape by Roskilde Road," an etching made in 1849 by Vilhelm Kyhn. His art played an important role in shaping Danish national identity, and what's now on view at the SMK represents not just a scene, but also nationalistic sentiment. Curator: It is evocative, this single tree in the foreground set against cultivated fields. How might that speak to an era grappling with rural-to-urban shifts? Was this how artists visually defended the agrarian lifestyle against industrialization's creep? Art Historian: Well, that tension certainly was central. Think of how artists became advocates—art became a political tool of sorts, idealizing the countryside. Kyhn exhibited this piece widely, didn't just see nature, but sold an image. Curator: Looking at it now through a decolonial lens, I wonder how the concept of "landscape" as a genre imposed a particular way of seeing and possessing the land. Were marginalized groups considered in Kyhn's nationalist vision? What was this image doing and who was it excluding? Art Historian: An important critique. Art history must face up to those questions. Though I wonder if those political readings overshadowed how artists really captured a place. How can we use the lens of time, the lens of our moment now to bring greater understanding for viewers now and how its consumed and digested now in 2024? Curator: Agreed. We must constantly question whose stories are told, and whose are left out of the frame. Considering historical omissions expands how art history's dialogues continue in contemporary culture. Art Historian: Well, whether seen as pure landscape or loaded with nationalist ideology, I'll remember Kyhn's ability to render details so meticulously. The very precise etching in his artwork "Landscape by Roskilde Road."