Gad Frederik Clement, generally known as G. F. Clement (9 July 1867 – 7 January 1933), 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. After an early encounter with the French

Symbolists Symbolism was a late 19th-century art movement of French and Belgian origin in poetry and other arts seeking to represent absolute truths symbolically through language and metaphorical images, mainly as a reaction against naturalism and realis ...

, he took an interest in the Italian Renaissance period before turning to the more relaxed style of Naturalism in

Skagen Skagen () is Denmark's northernmost town, on the east coast of the Skagen Odde peninsula in the far north of Jutland, part of Frederikshavn Municipality in Nordjylland, north of Frederikshavn and northeast of Aalborg. The Port of Skagen is ...

and

Civita d'Antino Civita d'Antino ( la, Antinum) is a ''comune'' and town in the province of L'Aquila, in the Abruzzo region of Central Italy. History ''Antinum'' was a city of the Marsi: it is mentioned in ancient sources only by Pliny, who enumerates Antinum amon ...

Early life and education

Born 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 ...

, he was the son of an accountant. After an apprenticeship as a house painter, he studied art under Hans Grønvold at Copenhagen's Technical School (1883–85) before attending the

Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts 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 ...

where he graduated in 1888. He then studied under

Laurits Tuxen Laurits Regner Tuxen (9 December 1853 – 21 November 1927) was a Danish painter and sculptor specialising in figure painting. He was also associated with the Skagen Painters. He was the first head of Kunstnernes Frie Studieskoler, an art school ...

and Frans Schwartz at

Kunstnernes Frie Studieskoler Kunstnernes Frie Studieskoler was an art school established in Copenhagen in 1882 as a protest against the policies of the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts and to provide an alternative to its educational program. It existed until 1912 and was a c ...

(1888–92) before completing his studies under

Kristian Zahrtmann Peder Henrik Kristian Zahrtmann, known as Kristian Zahrtmann, (31 March 1843 – 22 June 1917) was a Denmark, Danish Painting, painter. He was a part of the Danish artistic generation in the late 19th century, along with Peder Severin Krøyer and ...

in 1901.Vera Rasmussen, "G. F. Clement"
''Kunstindeks Danmark & Weilbachs Kunstnerleksikon''. Retrieved 28 October 2013.

Career

In his early years, Clement was significantly influenced by his friend

Mogens Ballin Mogens Ballin (20 March 1871, Copenhagen – 27 January 1914, Hellerup) was a Danish artist, one of a group of painters who gathered in the Breton village of Pont-Aven. He later became a notable silversmith designing jewelry and lamps.

who introduced him to modern French

Symbolist Symbolism was a late 19th-century art movement of French and Belgian origin in poetry and other arts seeking to represent absolute truths symbolically through language and metaphorical images, mainly as a reaction against naturalism and realis ...

painting. In 1890, he was introduced to

Paul Gauguin Eugène Henri Paul Gauguin (, ; ; 7 June 1848 – 8 May 1903) was a French Post-Impressionist artist. Unappreciated until after his death, Gauguin is now recognized for his experimental use of colour and Synthetist style that were distinct fr ...

and his friends in France, leading him to associate with

Johannes Jørgensen Jens Johannes Jørgensen (6 November 1866, in Svendborg – 29 May 1956) was a Danish writer, best known for his biographies of Catholic saints. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature five times. Early days Johannes Jørgensen was ...

, founder of the journal ''

Taarnet ''Taarnet'' (Danish: ''The Tower'') was a monthly art and literary magazine founded and edited by Johannes Jørgensen in Copenhagen, Denmark. It was subtitled as Illustreret Tidsskrift for Kunst og Litteratur (Danish: Illustrated Magazine for Art ...

'' which promoted Symbolism. The Symbolist style clearly comes out in his ''Den hellige Frans og de tre hvide jomfruer'' and in the other works he exhibited at

Kunsthal Charlottenborg Kunsthal Charlottenborg is an exhibition building in Copenhagen, Denmark. It is the official exhibition gallery of the Royal Danish Academy of Art. History Charlottenborg Palace was constructed in 1672–83 as a residence for Ulrik Frederik G ...

in 1893. However, his journeys to Italy from 1890 soon inspired him to take an interest in

Italian Renaissance art Italian Renaissance painting is the painting of the period beginning in the late 13th century and flourishing from the early 15th to late 16th centuries, occurring in the Italian Peninsula, which was at that time divided into many political stat ...

, prompting him to copy works by

Masaccio Masaccio (, , ; December 21, 1401 – summer 1428), born Tommaso di Ser Giovanni di Simone, was a Florentine artist who is regarded as the first great Italian painter of the Quattrocento period of the Italian Renaissance. According to Vasari, ...

and

Lorenzo di Credi Lorenzo di Credi (1456/59 – January 12, 1537) was an Italian Renaissance painter and sculptor best known for his paintings of religious subjects. He is most famous for having worked in the studio of Andrea del Verrocchio at the same time a ...

. The clarity and colour of this approach can be seen in his ''Portræt af en landsbypræst, pastor Vaupell'' (1894) and ''Fru Bertha Brandstrup'' (1898). After the turn of the century, Clement moved away from this demanding style, preferring the more relaxed idiom of Naturalism."G. F. Clement"
''Dansk Biografisk Leksikon''. Retrieved 28 October 2013. He began to concentrate on landscapes, especially in Italy where his travels took him to Rome and especially on several occasions to

from 1900 to 1904. He also became a frequent visitor to the

artists' colony An art colony, also known as an artists' colony, can be defined two ways. Its most liberal description refers to the organic congregation of artists in towns, villages and rural areas, often drawn by areas of natural beauty, the prior existence o ...

in the north of

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 ...

where he and his wife Tupsy were often in the company of Laurits Tuxen and

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 ...

. From 1920, the couple spent most of their summers in Italy. In addition to landscapes, he also painted portraits, flowers and figures indoors. His paintings of children reveal a high level of unsentimental understanding of his subjects.

Marriage

In 1902 while in Rome, Clement married the Norwegian painter

Tupsy Clement Martha Caroline "Tupsy" Clement, née Jebe, (13 April 1871 – 5 September 1959) was a Norwegian painter, the wife of Danish painter G.F. Clement. Her most notable landscapes were painted in Skagen where she spent her summers with her husband fr ...

who accompanied him to Skagen each summer from 1908 to 1920 and thereafter to Italy. His wife survived him after his death in Copenhagen in 1933. One of their daughters, Lillemor Clement, became a well known ceramist in Denmark.

Honours and awards

Clement was a member of the Academy's board (1920–29). He received many awards including the Academy's prize and the gold medal from Munich."Gad Frederik Clément"
Gravsted.dk. Retrieved 28 October 2013.

Literature

''Arbejder af Maleren G. F. Clement''
Copenhagen, Kunstforeningen 1920. List of Clement's works.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clement, Gad Frederick 1867 births 1933 deaths 19th-century Danish painters Danish male painters 20th-century Danish painters Skagen Painters Painters from Copenhagen Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts alumni People from Frederiksberg 19th-century Danish male artists 20th-century Danish male artists