Erik Ludvig Henningsen (29 August 1855 – 28 November 1930) 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 ance ...

painter and illustrator. He is best known for his

Social Realist Social realism is the term used for work produced by painters, printmakers, photographers, writers and filmmakers that aims to draw attention to the real socio-political conditions of the working class as a means to critique the power structure ...

paintings of poor and exposed groups in the 1880s and 1890s. He was the younger brother of Frants Henningsen who was also a painter.

Biography

Erik Henningsen was born on 29 August 1855 in

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 ...

to Frants Ludvig Henningsen (1820–1869), a grocer, and Hilda Charlotte Christine née Schou (1824–1880). He showed an early artistic talent and was articled to decorative painter A. Hellesen. He also took drawing lessons privately with Christian Nielsen and was admitted to the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in 1873. He graduated in 1877 and won several awards and distinctions, including the Academy's Annual Medal in 1887 and 1890, the Ancher Prize in 1889, and in 1892 a travel scholarship of DKK 100. His travels took him to

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and the

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Artistic career

Henningsen became part of the group ''Bogstaveligheden'', a forum for the Realists' humanitarian ideals about creating a better society through illumination and debate. In his paintings from the 1880s and 1890s, Henningsen was preoccupied with the rights and living conditions of groups such as the unemployed, women, workers, children and the elderly. Examples are ''Summum jus, summa injuria. The infanticide'' (1886,

The Hirschsprung Collection The Hirschsprung Collection (Danish: Den Hirschsprungske Samling) is an art museum located on Stockholmsgade in Copenhagen, Denmark. It is located in a parkland setting in Østre Anlæg, near the Danish National Gallery, and houses a large colle ...

and Evicted (1892,

Danish National Gallery The National Gallery of Denmark ( da, Statens Museum for Kunst, also known as "SMK", literally State Museum for Art) is the Danish national gallery, located in the centre of Copenhagen. The museum collects, registers, maintains, researches and han ...

). He also depicted the lighter aspects of human life, as in his paintings of street life in Copenhagen. ErikHenningsen-NordiskeNaturforskermode-1847

ErikHenningsen-NordiskeNaturforskermode-1847

Towards the turn of the century Henningsen mainly painted historical scenes. An example is his mural in the banquet hall of the

University of Copenhagen The University of Copenhagen ( da, Københavns Universitet, KU) is a prestigious public university, public research university in Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. Founded in 1479, the University of Copenhagen is the second-oldest university in ...

's main building on Vor Frue Plads in Copenhagen. It depicts the banquet at the

Scandinavian Scientist Conference The Scandinavian Scientist Conferences (''Nordiske Naturforskermøde/Nordiska Naturforskarmöte'' a.k.a. ''Naturforskerselskabet/Naturforskarsällskapet'' or ''Scandinavian Association of Naturalists'') was a series of meetings 1839-1936 for scient ...

held in

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in 1847. It completed a series of murals depicting the history of the university of which the earlier painting had been created by

Vilhelm 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 art ...

, Carl Bloch and Vilhelm Rosenstand. During the two first decades of the 20th century he mainly painted genre works from the lives of the bourgeoisie.

Illustrations and decorative works

Henningsen also worked as an illustrator, both for the weekly magazine Ude og Hjemme and books such as Pietro Krohns ''Peters Jul'' (1914). In 1900, the

Tuborg Breweries Tuborg is a Danish brewing company founded in 1873 on a harbour in Hellerup, an area North of Copenhagen, Denmark. Since 1970 it has been part of the Carlsberg Group. The brewery's flagship, the Tuborg pilsner, was brewed for the first time in ...

announced a competition for a "decorative advertisement poster" to mark its 25 years jubilee. The first prize, which was rewarded with a sum of DKK 10,000, was taken 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 ...

, but it was ultimately Henningsen's entry, known as ''The Thirsty Man'', which was put into production by the brewery. It has since obtained iconic status and become one of the most immediately recognizable posters in Denmark.

Selected works

* ''Morning in Adressekontorets Gaard'' (1881) * ''A snowy day at Gammeltorv'' (1886) * ''Summum jus, summa injuria. The infanticide'' (1886,

) * ''Break at Efterslægten School'' (1887) * ''Parade of the Infantry'' (1888,

) * ''A constitutional celebration in the country'' (1891) * ''Woman at the Grøndalshuset'' (1892) * ''Evicted'' (1892,

) * ''A wounded worker'' (1895,

) * ''A lecture in the Dagmar Hall, Askov Folk High School'' (1903, Ribe Art Museum)

Gallery

File:Henningsen, Erik-Summum jus, summa injuris. Barnemordet.jpg, ''Summum jus, summa injuria. The infanticide'' (1886) File:Bønder i Hovedstaden (Henningsen).jpg, ''Farmers in the capital'' (1887) File:Vagtparade (Henningsen).jpg, ''Parade of the Infantry'' (1888) Erik Henningsen, 1891 - The Dance Pavilion.jpg, ''The dance pavilion'' (1891) File:Sat ud (Henningsen).jpg, ''Evicted'' (1892) File:En såret arbejder (Henningsen).jpg, ''A wounded worker'' (1895) File:En agitator (Henningsen).jpg, ''An agitator'' (1899) File:Askov Højskole (Henningsen).jpg, ''

Askov Folk High School Askov is a city in Pine County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 364 at the 2010 census. Minnesota State Highway 23 serves as a main route in the community, and Interstate 35 is nearby. History The village was originally within t ...

'' (1903)

References