Rejsedagbog 1846

Curator: So, what strikes you about Johan Thomas Lundbye's 1846 "Rejsedagbog," or Travel Journal, rendered in ink on paper? It's housed here at the SMK. My initial reaction is the incredible intimacy afforded by encountering someone’s personal sketchbook, and how the act of writing becomes a tactile encounter. Editor: Absolutely! I’m really drawn to the almost frenetic energy of the handwritten script juxtaposed with the fragility of the paper. It feels like a very personal snapshot. How do you interpret this work in the context of Romanticism and its material existence? Curator: I'm particularly interested in considering what its existence, not as an art object in the traditional sense, but rather as a record of the artist's travels and daily observations, tells us about the Romantic project itself. Consider the materials – paper, ink, leather binding. Each speaks to specific industries, modes of production, and consumption habits of 19th-century Europe. How does the artist’s hand interacting with these readily available materials contribute to his artistic process, do you think? Editor: That's fascinating. It makes me consider how readily available these materials were and who could have had access to them, and then I have to remember this artist was rather privileged. What would a peasant’s diary look like at this time? Curator: Exactly! It forces us to confront the socioeconomic realities underpinning the Romantic ideal. This object is more than just ink on paper. It is the product of specific material conditions, of class structures, and of systems of knowledge dissemination. And further it solidifies how one creates meaning out of making in any particular medium. It highlights this artist's experience. Editor: That's such an interesting perspective. I hadn’t considered how the material conditions shape our understanding of the artist’s expression, or diary entry. I'm leaving this artwork considering both it's artistry but the artist's reality too!