Udkast til et Holbergmonument 1810 - 1873

Wilhelm Marstrand created this pen and brown ink drawing, "Udkast til et Holbergmonument," which translates to "Draft for a Holberg Monument," at an unknown date. The drawing presents a statue atop a pedestal, rendered with a fascinating economy of line. Marstrand’s brisk strokes capture the essence of the monument, focusing our attention on its form and structure. The statue's figure is confidently upright, holding a cane, with details of his garb quickly sketched in with bold strokes. The pedestal beneath is adorned with what seems to be classical figures, depicted with an equally rapid hand. The very sketchiness of the drawing opens up a space for interpretation; the monument is not fixed but becomes a site of possibility. The blank tablet at the center of the pedestal emphasizes a sense of potential— a space waiting to be inscribed with meaning. This dynamic between the sketched and the unsaid, is a recognition that meaning is never fully determined but is always emerging.