Christen Dalsgaard (30 October 1824 – 11 February 1907) was a

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish a ...

painter, a late student of

Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg (2 January 1783 – 22 July 1853) was a Danish painter. He was born in Blåkrog in the Southern Jutland region of Denmark. He went on to lay the foundation for the period of art known as the Golden Age of Da ...

Biography

Early life and education

Christen Dalsgaard was born on 30 October 1824. He was the son of the owner of the estate, Krabbesholm Manor, located near Skive in

Jutland Jutland ( da, Jylland ; german: Jütland ; ang, Ēota land ), known anciently as the Cimbric or Cimbrian Peninsula ( la, Cimbricus Chersonesus; da, den Kimbriske Halvø, links=no or ; german: Kimbrische Halbinsel, links=no), is a peninsula of ...

. He showed early signs of artistic talent, and received training as a craft painter. In the spring of 1841 Niels Rademacher, a visiting landscape painter, encouraged the young artist and convinced his parents of their son's talent. Later that year he traveled to

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

and began his art studies at the

Royal Danish Academy of Art The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts ( da, Det Kongelige Danske Kunstakademi - Billedkunst Skolerne) has provided education in the arts for more than 250 years, playing its part in the development of the art of Denmark. History The Royal Dani ...

(''Det Kongelige Danske Kunstakademi'') in October 1841. In December 1841 he began private studies with painter

Martinus Rørbye Martinus Christian Wesseltoft Rørbye (; 17 May 1803 – 29 August 1848) was a Danish painter, known both for genre works and landscapes. He was a central figure of the Golden Age of Danish painting during the first half of the 19th century. Th ...

. These lessons continued until 1847. In 1843 he began his studies at the academy freehand drawing school, and the following year at the academy plaster school. Home during the summer and holidays, he busied himself by filling sketchbooks with studies of the local landscape, costumes, and way of life. These formed a lifelong basis for his art. He also began collecting local folk costumes, another lifelong interest. In 1844 Dalsgaard came under the influence of the art historian Niels Lauritz Høyen, who gave a famous lecture titled "On the conditions for the development of a Scandinavian national art" ("''Om betingelserne for en skandinavisk nationalkunsts udvikling''"). Høyen called for artists to search for subject matter in the folk life of their country instead of searching for themes in other lands, such as Italy (which was at that time considered a requirement for an artist's training). Dalsgaard was a loyal follower of Høyen's artistic ideals, and forwent the customary journey to Italy, choosing rather to concentrate on themes closer to home. In March 1846 he began studying at the Academy's model school under professors

, J. L. Lund and

. He had his exhibition debut at Charlottenborg in 1847 and continued showing there every year with few exceptions.

An artistic career flourishes

In 1855 he painted his first

altarpiece An altarpiece is an artwork such as a painting, sculpture or relief representing a religious subject made for placing at the back of or behind the altar of a Christian church. Though most commonly used for a single work of art such as a painting o ...

at the church in his hometown of Skive. He went on to paint a number of other altarpieces in the years to come. He had his big breakthrough in 1856 with the painting ''Mormoner på besøg hos en tømrer på landet'' ("Mormons visit a country carpenter"). The painting, created only six years after the

missionaries A missionary is a member of a religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Mi ...

' arrival in Denmark, is set in the shadowed interior of a provincial cottage. A group of people are gathered around a table, listening to a missionary's message. Light filters in through a small window and an open door. It is a study of contemporary daily life, carefully depicting the interior and costumes of the people in detail. The painting was donated to the Danish National Gallery (''Statens Museum for Kunst'') in 1871. He married Hansine Marie Hansen on 21 August 1857. The newlyweds purchased a house in

Frederiksberg Frederiksberg () is a part of the Capital Region of Denmark. It is formally an independent municipality, Frederiksberg Municipality, separate from Copenhagen Municipality, but both are a part of the City of Copenhagen. It occupies an area of ...

. Their circle of social acquaintances included

Constantin Hansen Carl Christian Constantin Hansen (Constantin Hansen) (3 November 1804 – 29 March 1880) was one of the painters associated with the Golden Age of Danish Painting. He was deeply interested in literature and mythology, and inspired by art hist ...

, Niels Lauritz Høyen,

Wilhelm Marstrand Nicolai Wilhelm Marstrand (24 December 1810 – 25 March 1873), painter and illustrator, was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, to Nicolai Jacob Marstrand, instrument maker and inventor, and Petra Othilia Smith. Marstrand is one of the most renowned ar ...

, P.C. Skovgaard, Vilhelm Kyhn, Godtfred Rump,

Frederik Vermehren Johan Frederik (Frits) Nikolai Vermehren, also known as Frederik Vermehren (12 May 1823 – 10 January 1910), a genre and portrait painter in the realist style. His artistic career took place during the period of Danish art known as the Golden ...

and

Julius Exner Johan Julius Exner, (30 November 1825 – 15 November 1910), Danish genre painter, was born in Copenhagen to Johann Gottlieb Exner, a Czech musician from Bohemia, who came to Denmark during the Napoleonic period, and his wife Karen Jørgensdat ...

. Dalsgaard received the Academy's Neuhausen's prize (''Neuhausens præmie'') in both 1859 and 1861. He began teaching drawing at

Sorø Academy Sorø Academy (Danish, ''Sorø Akademi'') is a boarding school and gymnasium located in the small town of Sorø, Denmark. It traces its history back to the 12th century when Bishop Absalon founded a monastery at the site, which was confiscated by ...

in 1862. Upon being selected, he became a member of the Academy of Art in 1872. He exhibited at the World Exhibition in Paris for the first time in 1878. He painted his famous painting "I wonder when he will come home" (''Mon han dog ikke skulle komme?'') in 1879. This painting is typical of his style. The picture features a young woman standing in an open doorway looking off to one side. One foot is on the door frame, and one foot is on the ground outside. The interior is dark and shadowed. The outside is a sunlit agrarian landscape. The title of the painting refers to her inner dialogue. In 1890 he finished the first of twenty-one small Bible pictures, a project which he continued to work on for the next ten years. He was named a professor at the Academy of Art in 1892, and quit his position at Sorø Academy. He died on 11 February 1907 in Sorø. In 1914 the artist's widow contributed a portion of his collection of folk costumes to the National Museum. She died in Sorø on 3 November of that same year. The National Museum acquired the remainder of the collection in 1921.

Works

Christen Dalsgaard, like his contemporaries Julius Exner and Frederik Vermehren, painted primarily

genre painting Genre painting (or petit genre), a form of genre art, depicts aspects of everyday life by portraying ordinary people engaged in common activities. One common definition of a genre scene is that it shows figures to whom no identity can be attached ...

national romantic Romantic nationalism (also national romanticism, organic nationalism, identity nationalism) is the form of nationalism in which the state claims its political legitimacy as an organic consequence of the unity of those it governs. This includes ...

folk scenes rooted in the grasslands of

. He paid great attention to details – folk costumes, the manners and habits of the people, and architecture and landscape. He was a storyteller. His artistic works, as well as those of his contemporaries, opened the way for more realistic paintings in the late 1800s. A collection of his work can be found at the Skive Art Museum. Other paintings can be found at the

National Museum of Denmark The National Museum of Denmark (Nationalmuseet) in Copenhagen is Denmark's largest museum of cultural history, comprising the histories of Danish and foreign cultures, alike. The museum's main building is located a short distance from Strøget ...

in Copenhagen, among other museums. File:Christen Dalsgaard - A carpenter's workshop. - Google Art Project.jpg, ''A carpenter's workshop'', 1855 File:Christen Dalsgaard - A fisherman's bedroom - Google Art Project.jpg, ''A fisherman's bedroom'', 1853 File:Christen Dalsgaard - Outhouse interior - Google Art Project.jpg, ''Outhouse interior'', 1856 File:Stengangen på Sorø Akademi (Dalgaard).jpg, ''A corridor at Sorø Akademi'', 1871 File:Christen Dalsgaard - A young girl frem Salling reading. Study. - Google Art Project.jpg, ''A young girl from Salling reading''

References

External links