Edma Cornelia Vilhelmine Frølich Stage, also Edma Stage, (14 August 1859 – 3 November 1958) was a French-born, Danish painter who worked mainly in pastels.

Biography

Born in Fontainebleau, France, and brought up in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

, Frølich was the daughter of the Danish painter Lorenz Frølich (1820–1908) and the Swedish pianist Carolina Charlotta In de Betou (1823–1872). From an early age, her father used her as a model for his many illustrations in children's books published by the editor and publisher

Pierre-Jules Hetzel Pierre-Jules Hetzel (15 January 1814 – 17 March 1886) was a French editor and publisher. He is best known for his extraordinarily lavishly illustrated editions of Jules Verne's novels, highly prized by collectors today. Biography Born in Ch ...

, especially the Mlle Lili series including ''La journée de Mlle Lili'' (1862) and ''Voyage de découvertes de Mlle Lili'' (1866). She was introduced to drawing and painting by her father who continued to advise her until his death in 1908. Her mother died when she was 13 but it was only when she was 16 that she moved to Denmark where she lived in the Copenhagen neighborhood of Rosenvænget at home of the artist Thorald Læssøe (1816–1878), one of her father's best friends. She returned to Paris to continue her studies, first under the traditional historicist Félix-Joseph Barrias (1879–1881) and then as a student of Alfred Stevens (1881–83) who had been influenced by Japanese art and

Impressionism Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by relatively small, thin, yet visible brush strokes, open composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passage ...

. While in Paris, she became a friend of Sofie Holten,

Suzette Skovgaard Suzette Catherine Holten (née Skovgaard, 29 January 1863 – 11 February 1937) was a Danish painter and ceramist who belonged to the Skovgaard family of artists. In addition to landscapes, flower paintings and portraits, she created and decorated ...

and

Elise Konstantin-Hansen Elise Konstantin-Hansen (1858–1946) was a Danish painter and ceramist. She developed her own naturalistic style, often painting sea birds, animals, plants and beach scenes. Early life and education Konstantin-Hansen was born in the Frederiks ...

, who were also studying painting there. In 1885, she married the pastor Nicolai Christian Stage (1860–1938).

Artistic style

Frølich created mainly portraits in pastels but also painted still lifes and floral works in oils. Her portraits tended towards Realism but still reflected the mundane influence of Stevens. She first exhibited at the

Charlottenborg Spring Exhibition The Charlottenborg Spring Exhibition (''Charlottenborg Forårsudstilling'') is an annual art exhibition in Copenhagen, Denmark. The event is held at the Charlottenborg Exhibition Building (''Kunsthal Charlottenborg''). Kunsthal Charlottenborg ...

in 1883 but, despite her rather conservative style, became one of the founders The Free Exhibition (''Den Frie Udstilling'') in Copenhagen which offered a more open environment than the

Academy An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosop ...

's traditional approach. She presented her paintings there throughout her life, last exhibiting when in her nineties.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Froelich, Edma 1859 births 1958 deaths Danish women painters 19th-century Danish painters 20th-century Danish painters People from Fontainebleau Painters from Paris Danish people of Swedish descent Pastel artists 19th-century Danish women artists 20th-century Danish women artists 20th-century Danish artists French emigrants to Denmark