Beyond the Light: Identity and Place in Nineteenth-Century Danish Art

Edited by Freyda Spira, Stephanie Schrader, and Thomas Lederballe
With contributions by Gry Hedin and Karina Lykke Grand

Though known as the Danish Golden Age, nineteenth-century Denmark was one of the most tumultuous periods in the nation's history—from the disastrous siege of Copenhagen and the collapse of Denmark's monarchy to the swelling tide of nationalism that eventually engulfed all of Europe. This volume places artists at the center of Denmark's dramatic cultural, political, and philosophical transformation by bringing together 90 drawings, paintings, and oil sketches by Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg, Christen KØbke, Constantin Hansen, Martinus RØrbye, Johan Thomas Lundbye, Vilhelm HammershØi, and others. Five thematic essays by leading scholars in Denmark and the United States explore the way Danish artists manifested the pride, traditions, and anxieties of their nation; the sea's ever-changing role as a marker of Danish identity; the evolving nature of portraiture; nostalgia for the Danish landscape and folk traditions; and the influence on Danish artists of their travels throughout Europe.

Freyda Spira is Robert L. Solley Curator of Prints and Drawings at the Yale University Art Gallery.

Stephanie Schrader is curator of drawings at J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles.

Thomas Lederballe is chief curator and senior researcher at the Statens Museum for Kunst, Copenhagen.