Rejsedagbog 1845

Curator: Today, we are looking at a page from Johan Thomas Lundbye’s Rejsedagbog, dating back to 1845. It's an ink drawing on paper currently housed at the Statens Museum for Kunst. Editor: It’s striking. There’s something about the intimate scale and dense script that creates a sense of enclosure. The text, looping and intertwining, feels almost like a landscape in itself. Curator: Indeed. Lundbye, deeply rooted in Romanticism, uses the journal to record not just observations but emotional responses to his surroundings. Consider the flow of the ink, almost mimicking the natural forms he so admired. Editor: And how these loops also serve to contain... it speaks to the internal process, the journaling as a self-enclosing action, and, perhaps, how identity is expressed as artifice in that process. The visible binding and worn page edges highlight its materiality. It is a document, something held and reread many times. Curator: Precisely. Beyond pure visual delight, the writing holds stories and reflections inseparable from his artistic vision. These aren't casual jottings; they are integral to how we understand his landscapes. His careful script shows the act of journaling itself was deliberate and crafted. Editor: Which connects with the culture surrounding journaling in the early 19th century. Journals were a common means of circulating news and feelings between loved ones... this makes me wonder about who Lundbye imagined as the audience for his thoughts, given their almost artistic presentation. Curator: Good point. Diaries like this one often bridged the private and public spheres. And Lundbye, active in the artistic life of his time, was certainly conscious of this duality. What feels personal can also inform a broader cultural narrative. Editor: I now leave with an appreciation for this journal not as a mere historical record, but also as an artwork where Lundbye expresses personal thoughts as much as the aesthetic qualities. Curator: A superb point to remember as you continue exploring Lundbye and the era! Hopefully you all gain further insight into the connection between self expression, documentation, and landscape painting.