Jens Birkholm (21 November 1869 – 11 May 1915) was a Danish

genre Genre () is any form or type of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially-agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other for ...

painter associated with the group known as 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 ...

Biography

Birkholm was born in and died in

Faaborg Faaborg or Fåborg () is an old port town located on Faaborg Fjord in Faaborg-Midtfyn municipality on the island of Funen in Denmark. By road, Faaborg is located southwest of Odense, west-northwest of Svendborg, and roughly southeast of Midde ...

. His father was a

Sailing Master The master, or sailing master, is a historical rank for a naval officer trained in and responsible for the navigation of a sailing vessel. The rank can be equated to a professional seaman and specialist in navigation, rather than as a military ...

.Brief biography
@ Den Store Danske. Several of his friends were aspiring artists, including

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 ...

and Peter Hansen. Although his only formal training was an apprenticeship with an obscure local artist, he drew and painted together with them in his spare time and absorbed the influence of

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 ...

, who was their teacher in Copenhagen. He was a

pacifist Pacifism is the opposition or resistance to war, militarism (including conscription and mandatory military service) or violence. Pacifists generally reject theories of Just War. The word ''pacifism'' was coined by the French peace campaign ...

so, to avoid military service, he worked as a travelling companion for visitors to Switzerland and Germany, where he also found work as a painter.Biographical notes
@ Kunstindeks Danmark. While in Germany, he came in contact with the

Social Democrats Social democracy is a political, social, and economic philosophy within socialism that supports political and economic democracy. As a policy regime, it is described by academics as advocating economic and social interventions to promote so ...

and, in 1892, settled in Berlin, where he created paintings of poor people in times of distress, some of them done in homeless shelters. Later, these would come to be considered his most important works. In 1902, he contracted

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...

and returned to his home town where he participated in creating the . Under the influence of the Funen Painters, his style changed from

social realism 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 ...

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

and he shifted to painting mainly landscapes. He maintained an interest in social issues, however, and was often at odds with Faaborg's conservative government. In 1906 he returned to Berlin, where he revisited the shelters, asylums, and orphanages and created paintings with new characters in his new style. From 1904 to 1912, he held annual exhibitions in Faaborg and made several trips abroad, including Italy (1905) and Tunisia (1911). He became seriously ill in 1914 and spent almost a year in a sanatorium. The following year, he succumbed to his illness at the age of forty-six.

References

External links

ArtNet: More works by Birkholm."Jens Birkholm - en socialistisk maler"
from the ''Dagbladet Arbejderen'', a Communist Party (Denmark) publication. (2007) {{DEFAULTSORT:Birkholm, Jens 1869 births 1915 deaths 19th-century Danish painters 20th-century Danish painters 20th-century deaths from tuberculosis Danish male painters Danish genre painters Social realist artists Danish landscape painters People from Faaborg-Midtfyn Municipality Tuberculosis deaths in Denmark Danish pacifists 19th-century Danish male artists 20th-century Danish male artists

Biography

References

Further reading

External links