Review: Denmark’s great artists present a case study in responses to national trauma
The show, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, sounds unprepossessing. Danish art from the early 19th century? “Identity and place”? Unless you are a big fan of “Borgen” and eager to know what Birgitte Nyborg meant when she said, in the current season’s, that “modern day Denmark was born of defeat,” you might be inclined to give it a pass.
Often, when a nation loses its bearings and self-esteem, it looks to its artists to alleviate the shame. Something like that happened in Denmark, which, between 1818 and 1848, enjoyed a “golden age.” wrote in “The Culture of Defeat,” “as inaccessible to the victor … as the kingdom of heaven is to the rich man.” The result can be a sense of moral superiority, often attended by a process of purification. Both are observable in Danish art of this period.
Close bonds — fraternal, aesthetic and philosophical — connected the artists in this show. The younger artists were variously engaged in carrying out the program of the ardently nationalist Niels Laurits Hoyen, Denmark’s first art historian. Hoyen, who called for Danish artists to depict national monuments, had his hands on everything to do with Danish art during this period.Many Danish artists went to study in Rome, where the great neoclassical sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen held sway.
But look at the expressions of these young men, all loosely arrayed in the apartment of the architect Michael Bindesboll. He’s the one wearing the Ottoman-style fez, recounting a tale from his recent trip to Constantinople with Rorbye. His loyal pals are all listening. You could describe them as attentive, even lost in thought. But to my eye they look skeptical, bored, even demoralized.
Norge Siste Nytt, Norge Overskrifter
Similar News:Du kan også lese nyheter som ligner på denne som vi har samlet inn fra andre nyhetskilder.
CPHFW’s Street Style Was the Perfect Mix of Simplicity and EccentricitySee what the fashion crowd wore to the Danish capital here.
Les mer »
At the Dallas Symphony, a Dutch conductor and an Argentine pianist walk onto the stage…Review: Delayed Dallas Symphony concert featured guest conductor Edo de Waart and pianist Ingrid Fliter.
Les mer »
Review: Natasha Lyonne has found the role of her career in 'Poker Face'Peter Travers reviews 'Poker Face,' starring Natasha Lyonne.
Les mer »
Review: 'Knock at the Cabin' is peak-form Shyamalan, a suspense master'Will this be the movie to finally knock 'Avatar: The Way of Water' off the top of the box-office charts? Don't bet against it.'
Les mer »
2023 Mercedes-Benz G 550 Road Test Review: Should you cave to the crave?2023 Mercedes-Benz G 550 is a one of a kind. And when it's what you want, nothing else will do, even if there are objectively better options
Les mer »
Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M2 Max) review: faster but hotter | Digital TrendsThe new 14-inch M2 Max MacBookPro lives up to the promise of more performance, but not without a trade-off.
Les mer »