Braavallaslaget 1852

Editor: Here we have Lorenz Frølich’s “Braavallaslaget,” a drawing in ink on paper from 1852, housed at the SMK. It depicts a battle scene with incredible detail. There's so much movement and emotion crammed into this single sheet! What stands out to you in this work? Curator: It's the evidence of labor that captivates me. Look closely at the intense layering of ink, the sheer amount of work involved in creating such a detailed historical scene by hand. What narratives of production can we decipher from it? Editor: You mean like the artist's physical involvement? The hours spent hunched over this drawing? Curator: Precisely. And what was the context of its making? Was it a study for a larger painting? A commission? Was Frølich aiming for high art status or was the goal something else, say, the burgeoning illustrated press of the period? Editor: That makes me think about the Romantic style too. Is Frølich embracing Romanticism to elevate a Danish national myth, and how does that nationalistic intention play out in the labor of its creation? Curator: Exactly. Consider, too, the material conditions. The accessibility of paper and ink in 1852 shapes what’s depicted here as much as Romantic ideals. What power dynamics are implicit in the act of translating history through this accessible medium? Editor: So it's not just about the epic story being told, but about who could access and interpret that story through image making at the time. I had not considered that before. Thank you! Curator: The layers of meaning are interwoven, shaped by both the artistic hand and societal structures of material consumption. It's quite fascinating.