Gadekæret i Brofelde. F.o. et gentaget studie af bakkens profil og skoven 1844

Johan Thomas Lundbye made this watercolor and graphite work, ‘Gadekæret i Brofelde. F.o. et gentaget studie af bakkens profil og skoven’ with traditional drawing and painting materials, and we can consider it through the lens of craft. Look closely and you’ll notice pencil markings underneath the washes of color. The artist built up layers of transparent paint, paying careful attention to the textural qualities of paper and pigment. Although paintings are often understood as documents of creativity, it is also worth remembering their physicality. Consider the work that goes into crafting the support and preparing the paint. More importantly, reflect on the scene depicted here. Lundbye documented the Danish landscape with an eye towards the lives of those who inhabited it. His paintings and drawings speak to the social context of rural life, the labor of farming, and the quiet beauty of the everyday. By engaging with these themes, he elevated the status of craft, showing its integral role in society and culture.