Landskab 1838

Curator: What a gorgeously intricate print. This is “Landskab,” or Landscape, created around 1838. It's an engraving, housed here at the SMK, the National Gallery of Denmark. What strikes you first about it? Editor: That the engraver took nature deadly serious, didn't they? All this texture, this detail. There’s almost too much; a kind of… claustrophobia of leaves? Curator: Claustrophobia? That's fascinating! One could argue it encapsulates Romanticism’s contradictory impulses: a love of nature versus its overwhelming power. Editor: Right! You get that tiny, insignificant feeling right away. The people are like details in a larger, wild plan. Are they really walking there or is this the beginning of a fairy tale about getting lost? Curator: Landscape painting was definitely elevated around this time; it's meant to stir up feelings of awe, of the sublime, and I would argue political emotions too, like pride in one's nation and its resources. Editor: Well, I definitely get the sublime. It is an excellent print, really drawing you into this almost primordial space. It's interesting how detailed but yet still hazy. Curator: The print medium allows for distribution of this emotional ideal, for the popularization of a national landscape. These would have been more accessible to middle-class citizens than oil paintings, contributing to a wider sense of shared identity. Editor: It almost makes you want to pick up the nearest pencil and find your own quiet corner. I like this work; thanks for telling me about it. Curator: And thank you, your observations have reminded me that art’s greatest role might be the simplest: the encouragement of personal introspection and connection with the natural world.