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Past, Present, Future: Young Man Sitting under a Tree on a Rock with His Hands in Front of His Face

Johan Thomas Lundbye Danish

1844

Not on view

Lundbye’s vibrant color and nervously zigzagging lines impart a sense of withdrawal from the world. Surrounded by darkness, the subject holds his head in despair. The Latin words “Perfectum—Præsens—Futurum” (past, present, and future) are inscribed on the sheet alongside vigorous black pen lines that scratch out the figure and tree, suggesting a hopelessness that is all encompassing. In this instance, the beech, a Danish national symbol, envelops the figure and conveys never-ending despair.

Past, Present, Future: Young Man Sitting under a Tree on a Rock with His Hands in Front of His Face, Johan Thomas Lundbye (Danish, Kalundborg 1818–1848 Bedsted), Pen and black ink, brush and black and gray washes, brush and watercolor — Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Title: Past, Present, Future: Young Man Sitting under a Tree on a Rock with His Hands in Front of His Face

Artist: Johan Thomas Lundbye (Danish, Kalundborg 1818–1848 Bedsted)

Date: 1844

Medium: Pen and black ink, brush and black and gray washes, brush and watercolor

Dimensions: Sheet: 6 7/8 × 8 11/16 in. (17.4 × 22 cm)
Frame: 16 3/4 × 23 1/16 × 1 3/16 in. (42.6 × 58.6 × 3 cm)

Classification: Drawings

Credit Line: SMK – The National Gallery of Denmark, Copenhagen

Accession Number: Danish.020

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