Joakim Frederik Skovgaard (18 November 1856 – 9 March 1933) was a Danish painter. He is remembered above all for the frescos which decorate

Viborg Cathedral , image = Viborg Cathedral June 2012.jpg , imagesize = 250px , caption = , pushpin map = Denmark , pushpin label position = , pushpin map alt = , pushpin mapsize = , ...

Biography

Born in Copenhagen, from an early age he was trained in drawing and painting by his father P.C. Skovgaard in the

Danish Golden Age The Danish Golden Age ( da, Den danske guldalder) covers a period of exceptional creative production in Denmark, especially during the first half of the 19th century.Kulturnet DanmarkGuide to the Danish Golden Age Although Copenhagen had suffered ...

tradition and had close contacts with

N.F.S. Grundtvig Nikolaj Frederik Severin Grundtvig (; 8 September 1783 – 2 September 1872), most often referred to as N. F. S. Grundtvig, was a Danish pastor, author, poet, philosopher, historian, teacher and politician. He was one of the most influential peo ...

. He studied at 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 ...

from 1871 to 1876 and attended

Léon Bonnat Léon Joseph Florentin Bonnat (20 June 1833 – 8 September 1922) was a French painter, Grand Officer of the Légion d'honneur and professor at the Ecole des Beaux Arts. Early life Bonnat was born in Bayonne, but from 1846 to 1853 he lived in M ...

's school in Paris in the winter of 1880-81 where he was influenced by the trend towards

Realism Realism, Realistic, or Realists may refer to: In the arts *Realism (arts), the general attempt to depict subjects truthfully in different forms of the arts Arts movements related to realism include: *Classical Realism *Literary realism, a move ...

. In the 1880s, he travelled to Italy and to Greece, where he was accompanied by

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 ...

, developing an interest in

Symbolism Symbolism or symbolist may refer to: Arts * Symbolism (arts), a 19th-century movement rejecting Realism ** Symbolist movement in Romania, symbolist literature and visual arts in Romania during the late 19th and early 20th centuries ** Russian sy ...

. In Rome, he was influenced by the

Impressionist 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 ...

approach to painting taken by

Theodor Philipsen Theodor Esbern Philipsen (10 June 18403 March 1920) was a Danish painter of Jewish ancestry; known for landscapes and animal portraits. He also did small figures in wax and clay. Biography Theodor Philipsen was born at Copenhagen to a cultured me ...

. In 1891, Skovgaard was a co-founder of

Den Frie Udstilling Den Frie Udstilling ('The Free Exhibition') is a Danish artists' association, founded in 1891 by artists in protest against the admission requirements for the Kunsthal Charlottenborg. Modeled on the Salon des Refusés, it is Denmark's oldest asso ...

where he subsequently exhibited. From 1884, he experimented with decorating ceramics as can be seen in his dish ''Eva med slangen'' (Eva with the Snake). He designed ceramics for J. Wallmann in

Utterslev Utterslev is a neighbourhood in the Bispebjerg district of Copenhagen, Denmark. Utterslev is centered on Utterslev Torv (Utterslev Square) and is most known for the Utterslev Mose marshland which straddles the border with Gladsaxe Municipality to t ...

where he became acquainted with

Thorvald Bindesbøll Thorvald Bindesbøll (21 July 1846 – 27 August 1908) was a Danish National romantic architect, sculptor and ornamental artist. He designed the Dragon Fountain, Copenhagen (''Dragespringvandet'') and is perhaps best known as the creator of t ...

. Often depicting animals, his designs later led to sculptures completed together with Bindesbøll, including ''Dragespringvandet'' (1888-1923) and ''Bjørnespringvandet'' (1888-1901) at

Copenhagen City Hall Copenhagen City Hall ( da, Københavns Rådhus) is the headquarters of the Copenhagen City Council as well as the Lord mayor of the Copenhagen Municipality, Denmark. The building is situated on City Hall Square in central Copenhagen. Architect ...

. From 1885, Skovgaard developed religious motifs in his paintings, as in ''Kristus fører Røveren ind i Paradis'' (1890) and ''Kristus i Dødsriget'' (1894). His frescos in Viborg Cathedral took him five years to complete (1901–06), even though he had several assistants. In the medieval tradition, the frescos represent the principal Bible stories from the Old and New Testaments. He later redecorated the church ceiling (1912–13). The frescos in Viborg Cathedral are considered to be one of Denmark's major works of art.

Awards

In 1923, Joakim Skovgaard was awarded the

Thorvaldsen Medal The Thorvaldsen Medal (Danish: Thorvaldsens Medalje, Thorvaldsen Medaillen) is awarded annually with few exceptions to a varying number of recipients by the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts and is its highest distinction within the visual arts. It ...

References

External links

Works by Joakim Skovgaard at Skovgaard Museet
{{DEFAULTSORT:Skovgaard, Joakim 1856 births 1933 deaths 19th-century Danish painters Danish male painters 20th-century Danish painters Artists from Copenhagen Recipients of the Thorvaldsen Medal 19th-century Danish male artists 20th-century Danish male artists