#golden age of danish art

[i12bent]

Martinus Rørbye (May 17, 1803 - 1848) was a Danish painter of the so-called Golden Age of Danish art. Rørbye was born in Drammen, Norway, but the family moved back to Denmark when Norway gained its independence - on this very day in 1814.

Rørbye started his studies at the Royal Danish Academy at age 16, and won the lesser Gold Medal a few years later. He traveled widely in the Mediterranean area, Italy, Greece, and even Turkey, where not many Danish artists had been. He also explored Skagen as one of the very first artists, capturing the special light up there.

In his final years, before succumbing to stomach cancer, aged 45, he painted numerous canvases with Italian scenes, such as this one:

Det indre af Capella Palatina i Palermo, 1842 - oil on canvas (SMK)

[the-evil-clergyman]

Illustrations from Hans Christian Andersen's Fairy Tales by Kay Nielsen (1924)

[antoniettabrandeisova]

View from the Artist's Window, c. 1825. Martinus Rørbye (Danish, 1803–1848)

[eirene]

The Russian Ship of the Line "Asow" and a Frigate at Anchor in the Roads of Elsinore, 1828 Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg

[collectionstilllife]

Martinus Rørbye (Danish, 1803-1848) • Still Life with a Primrose in a Flowerpot, a Cat and Two Sparrows • 1823

[creationfromnothingness]

J.Th. Lundbye: Hankehøj, 1847

[geritsel]

Vilhelm Kyhn - Oak forest, pen and ink drawing on paper

[sassafrasmoonshine]

Kay Nielsen (Danish, 1886-1957) • The Story of a Mother from Hans Christian Andersen's Fairy Tales • London: Hodder and Stoughton, Ltd. • 1914

[galleryofart]

Allegory of Sunday

Artist: Ditlev Blunck  (1798–1853)

Title: Deutsch: Allegorie des Sonntags

Type: Allegory

Genre: Religious

Date: 1841

Medium: Oil on Canvas

Collection: National Museum, Stockholm, Sweden

The painting, Allegory of Sunday, is a striking work of art that undeniably ranks among the artist’s most ambitious pieces. Ditlev Blunck (1798–1854) was active during the period known as the Danish Golden Age, which lasted from around 1810 to 1864. This period saw a flourishing of the arts in Denmark, with the Royal Danish Academy in Copenhagen at its heart. Quite a few Danish artists of the time, Blunck included, had German roots. Following Denmark’s two wars with Germany, he was overlooked by Danish art historians and consequently slid into obscurity. Blunck’s focus on religious motifs and scenes from everyday life, which in the 20th century were often considered old-fashioned and uninteresting, only exacerbated his obscurity.

Dating from 1841, Allegory of Sunday is an especially fine example of Ditlev Blunck’s religious painting. The work is exquisitely executed, and the overall effect calls to mind both the art of the Renaissance and the 19th-century German painters who took inspiration from it. In a way, an allegory resembles a rebus comprising symbolic components that together constitute a message – something achieved here by Blunck in a highly sophisticated manner. The specially designed frame, carved in wood and painted to coordinate with the image, is an integral part of the artwork. It contains six small paintings representing the other weekdays. The names of the days are inscribed among ornamental loops in the intricate relief work.

[liturgical-agenda]

Sunset at Hammershus Castle Ruins by Vilhelm Kyhn

[praise4slaanesh]

One of the most underrated Danish artist I have come across, is Kay Nielsen, 1886-1957. Kay was the child of 2 Danish actors, and became an illustrator himself. Visiting Paris, London, New York and settling in Los Angeles, he tried to write about fairytales, mythology and anything in-between. His style is reminisced of the jugendstilen, from which his works get a very unique and special touch. Personally, I relate him a lot to the Japanese artist Yoshitaka Amano, 1951-, whose style gives the same dreamy feeling. Nielsens works are mostly seen in books like East of The Sun - West of The Moon, however he also worked on the section in the Disney film Fantasia, involving Night on Bald Mountain. Properly most obscure, he also had some illustrations in erotic novels, that´s increasingly hard to find today. Here´s a small pick for some of my favorite illustrations form this amazing, underrepresented artist. Read more about Kay Nielsen here:

https://biografiskleksikon.lex.dk/Kay_Nielsen

Or in the book: Kay Nielsen: An Enchanted Vision

[i12bent]

Heinrich Buntzen (Sept. 29, 1803 - 1892) was a Danish landscape painter who trained first in his native city of Kiel and then at the Royal Academy in Copenhagen. He later became a Professor there, despite his reputation as a somewhat 'dry' and 'pedantic' artist.

Above: Parti fra Dyrehaven med Eremitageslottet i baggrunden, 1877 - oil on canvas (Privately owned)

[the-evil-clergyman]

The Vision, from The Book of Death by Kay Nielsen (1910)

[antoniettabrandeisova]

The piazza in Amalfi (detai), c. 1840. Martinus Rørbye Oil on canvas. 66 x 89 cm.

[eyeofpsyche]

Nightmares in Art (’Halloween in Art’ Series)

’Nightmare,’ (1846),

Ditlev Blunck (1798–1853),

Oil on canvas, H 62 cm x 49 cm,

Private collection, (2014–).

[kecobe]

Landscape. Summer. “Ryet” Vilhelm Hammershøi (Danish; 1864–1916) 1896 Oil on canvas Ordrupgaard, Charlottenlund, Denmark