Studie af Okse og to studier af gedehoveder samt et af en liggende ged 1845

This is Johan Thomas Lundbye’s "Studie af Okse og to studier af gedehoveder samt et af en liggende ged," a study of an ox and goats, made with pencil and grey wash on paper. Lundbye lived during the Danish Golden Age, a period marked by intense national romanticism. The rural scenes and depictions of animals were more than just pastoral imagery; they reflected the era's interest in the Danish landscape as a source of national identity. Lundbye sought to capture the essence of Danishness, and animals became symbols of the nation's agrarian roots. Consider the role of the artist in shaping a collective understanding of belonging. How did artists like Lundbye contribute to the construction and reinforcement of national narratives? Lundbye wrote, “Our task is to seek out and depict the particular character of each animal.” His studies remind us of how identity, whether national or personal, is often intimately tied to the land and the creatures we share it with. This connection can both celebrate and restrict, depending on who gets to define it.