An Avenue. Frederiksværk 1827 - 1883

Editor: So, here we have Thorald Brendstrup's "An Avenue, Frederiksværk," likely painted between 1827 and 1883. It's an impressionistic, plein-air landscape painting currently held at the SMK. It strikes me as incredibly serene, almost melancholic. How do you interpret this work? Curator: Beyond the picturesque qualities, I see this work as a representation of Denmark at a crossroads. This piece appears to represent a tension between agrarian traditions and encroaching industrialization that permeated European society at this time. The Frederiksværk area was becoming increasingly known for its industry. The painting captures the landscape and this moment. What feeling do you get when considering the artist would have made this en plein air, directly engaging with that changing environment? Editor: I guess there’s an element of documenting the effects of industrialization. How might that influence our viewing? Curator: Exactly! And who is included in the framing? Who can access these spaces and who cannot? Notice the positioning of the buildings and the trees, framing this view. Think about land ownership and how landscapes, especially during this period, became symbolic of national identity. Whose identity is being presented? Is it sanitized or does it leave traces of working class reality? Editor: It's interesting to think of landscape painting as a political act in some ways, a way of staking a claim or constructing a national image. The presence, or even absence, of the working class is striking now that you mention it. I hadn't considered those questions before. Curator: Precisely! The image invites us to consider this moment in history and what was valued, and whose realities may have been intentionally excluded. Editor: That gives me a lot to consider as I look at other landscape paintings. Thanks for your insight!