Christine Swane née Christine Larsen (29 May 1876 in

Kerteminde Kerteminde (nickname: ''Min Amandas by'', i.e. ''My Amanda's town''), is a town in central Denmark, located in Kerteminde Municipality on the island of Funen. The town has a population of 6,042 (1 January 2022).

– 16 August 1960 in

Farum Farum is a town on the northeast of the island of Zealand in eastern Denmark, 20 km northwest of Copenhagen. The town has a population of 20,312 (1 January 2022).

) 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 who first associated with the

Funen Painters The Funen Painters or ''Fynboerne'' were a loose group of Denmark, Danish artists who formed an art colony on the island of Funen at the very beginning of the 20th century. They were strongly influenced by Kristian Zahrtmann who taught at the Kuns ...

before developing her own increasingly

Cubist Cubism is an early-20th-century avant-garde art movement that revolutionized European painting and sculpture, and inspired related movements in music, literature and architecture. In Cubist artwork, objects are analyzed, broken up and reassemble ...

style.

Biography

Christine Swane was the sister of

Johannes Larsen Johannes Larsen (27 December 1867 – 20 December 1961) was a Danish nature painter. Biography Larsen was born in Kerteminde on Funen, Denmark. He was the son of Jeppe Andreas L. and Vilhelmine Christine Bless. His father was a merchant. Lar ...

, one of the key members of the

(''Fynboerne''), with whom she associated while young. She adopted their Naturalistic approach and strong use of colour as evidenced by her early flower paintings. After studying at the

Danish Academy Danish Academy is an independent organisation founded in 1960 by a circle of Danish intellectuals "to promote Danish esprit and language, especially within the field of literature". It has up to 20 members, currently 18, and is based at Rungstedlu ...

(1898–1901) under

Viggo Johansen Viggo Johansen (3 January 1851 – 18 December 1935) was a Danish painter and active member of the group of Skagen Painters who met every summer in the north of Jutland. He was one of Denmark's most prominent painters in the 1890s. Early life an ...

, she was instructed by

Jens Ferdinand Willumsen Jens Ferdinand Willumsen (7 September 1863 – 4 April 1958) was a Danish painter, sculptor, graphic artist, architect and photographer. He became associated with the movements of Symbolism and Expressionism. Biography J. F. Willumsen was born i ...

Fritz Syberg Christian Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Syberg, generally known as Fritz Syberg, (28 July 1862, Fåborg – 20 December 1939, Kerteminde) was a Danish painter and illustrator, one of the or Funen Painters (''Fynboerne'') living and working on the is ...

and

Harald Giersing Harald Giersing (24 April 1881 – 15 January 1927) was a Danish painter. He was instrumental in developing the classic modernism movement in Denmark around 1910-1920. He is remembered as one of Denmark's most important 20th-century artists both f ...

. Around 1910, she met

Karl Isakson Karl Oscar Isakson (16 January 1878, in Stockholm – 19 February 1922) was a Swedish painter who spent much of his professional life in Denmark where he is considered to be one of the fathers of Modernism. He had close associations with the Bor ...

and

Sigurd Swane Sigurd Swane (16 June 1879 – 9 April 1973) was a Danish Post-impressionist painter and poet; known primarily for his landscapes. Biography Swane was born in Frederiksberg. He studied in Copenhagen at the Royal Danish Academy of Art from 1899 ...

who introduced her to contemporary French art. Her marriage with Swane ended in 1920 when they were divorced. Their son, Lars Swane (1913–2002), was also a successful artist.

Artwork

Inspired by French trends, particularly

Henri Matisse Henri Émile Benoît Matisse (; 31 December 1869 – 3 November 1954) was a French visual artist, known for both his use of colour and his fluid and original draughtsmanship. He was a draughtsman, printmaker, and sculptor, but is known prima ...

, her earlier still lifes often depict indoor scenes or window sills with strong attention to detail. She slowly developed her own style creating more decorative, geometrical works with Cubist associations and thin transparent colouring, dominated by cool yellows, blues and greens. Over the years, she became an ever more sensitive

Colourist In comics, a colorist is responsible for adding color to black-and-white line art. For most of the 20th century this was done using brushes and dyes which were then used as guides to produce the printing plates. Since the late 20th century it is ...

, benefitting from her travels to France, the Netherlands, Belgium and England (1938), Italy (1957) and frequent trips to Sweden and Norway. Her stays on

Bornholm Bornholm () is a Danish island in the Baltic Sea, to the east of the rest of Denmark, south of Sweden, northeast of Germany and north of Poland. Strategically located, Bornholm has been fought over for centuries. It has usually been ruled by ...

and in her summer house in the north of Jutland also influenced her style.Monika C. Blatschek, "Christine Swane (1876 - 1960)"
''Dansk Kvindebiografisk Leksikon''. Retrieved 31 August 2011. In addition to still lifes, she painted portraits, landscapes and forest scenes. One of her most notable works is the mosaic depicting female gymnasts at the women's baths 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 ...

(1951) in a flat, geometrical style. Her interest in ceramics, possibly influenced by Willumsen, also developed considerably over the years as did her sculpture and needlework. From 1937, she exhibited her paintings with the

Grønningen Grønningen is a Danish artists cooperative whose members arrange exhibitions and similar events. Founded in 1915, it is one of the oldest and most important groupings of its kind in Denmark and currently has 54 members. It is named after the stree ...

cooperative. In 1943, she was awarded the

Eckersberg Medal The Eckersberg Medal (originally the ''Akademiets Aarsmedaille'' or Annual Academy Medal) is an annual award of the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts. It is named after Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg, known as the father of Danish painting. The Ec ...

References

External links

ArtNet: Paintings by Christine Swane.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Swane, Christine 1876 births 1960 deaths 19th-century Danish painters 20th-century Danish painters Danish women painters People from Kerteminde Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts alumni Recipients of the Eckersberg Medal 19th-century Danish women artists 20th-century Danish women artists