Lauritz Berg Hartz (27 December 1903 – 22 September 1987) was a
Danish artist, considered to be one of the country's finest colourists.
Biography
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 ...
, Hartz was first instructed in art at the age of 19 by the German
Expressionist
Expressionism is a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Northern Europe around the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it rad ...
painter,
Fritz Urschbach who aroused his interest in naturalism.
[ 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 ...
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 ...
under Sigurd Wandel
Sigurd Wandel (22 February 1875 – 3 June 1947) was a Danish painter who became director of the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts.
Biography
Wandel was born in the Frederiksberg district of Copenhagen, Denmark.
He was the son of art collector Os ...
and Aksel Jørgensen where he quickly gained a reputation as a talented artist.
Suffering from schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by continuous or relapsing episodes of psychosis. Major symptoms include hallucinations (typically hearing voices), delusions, and disorganized thinking. Other symptoms include social withdra ...
, his health deteriorated from about 1935, requiring him to be hospitalised more and more frequently.Review of Kjeld Heltoft's book Maleren Lauritz Hartz (in Danish).
Retrieved 12 December 2008 Yet even after permanent hospitalisation in
Nykøbing Sjælland
Nykøbing , often referred to as Nykøbing Sjælland or Nykøbing Sj to destinguish it from Nykøbing F and Nykøbing M, is a seaside town in Denmark, located in Odsherred on the northwestern part of Zealand. Located on the Isefjord, it has a p ...
in 1942, he continued to paint, participating in the exhibitions of the
Corner group of which he had been a founding member. Many of his works depict scenes from
Odsherred
Odsherred is a peninsula in the north-western part of the island Zealand (Sjælland) in Denmark. Odsherred stretches from the Sjællands Odde in the north-west to the now drained Lammefjord in the south, covering an area with a wide range of the m ...
in the northwest of
Zealand
Zealand ( da, Sjælland ) at 7,031 km2 is the largest and most populous island in Denmark proper (thus excluding Greenland and Disko Island, which are larger in size). Zealand had a population of 2,319,705 on 1 January 2020.
It is the 1 ...
. He is considered to be a member of the group of artists known as the
Odsherred Painters
Odsherred Painters ( da, Odsherredsmalerne) is a term applied to Danish artists from various periods with connections to Odsherred in the northwest of Zealand, Denmark. Some were born there while others settled in the area or painted there. While ...
, especially as he joined them in forming Corner.
Hartz' earlier portraits, landscapes and still lifes were characterised by thick layers of paint. With time, the human form disappeared as his style became more sketchy. The once vivid colours were increasingly thinned down. Ultimately he reverted just to drawings and watercolours.
Hertz died on 22 September 1987 in
Nykøbing Sjælland
Nykøbing , often referred to as Nykøbing Sjælland or Nykøbing Sj to destinguish it from Nykøbing F and Nykøbing M, is a seaside town in Denmark, located in Odsherred on the northwestern part of Zealand. Located on the Isefjord, it has a p ...
.
The
Holstebro
Holstebro is the main town in Holstebro Municipality, Denmark. The town, bisected by ''Storåen'' ("The Large Creek") and has a population of 36,489 (1 January 2022).[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 ...]
holds the largest collection of Lauritz Hartz’ works with over 3,000 of his drawings and paintings.
[
]
Awards
Hartz was awarded the Eckersberg Medal
The Eckersberg Medal (originally the ''Akademiets Aarsmedaille'' or Annual Academy Medal) is an annual award of the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts. It is named after Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg, known as the father of Danish painting.
The Ec ...
in 1940 and 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 ...
in 1967.[
]
References
Literature
*
External links
Examples of Lauritz Hartz work from Statens Museum for Kunst
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hartz, Lauritz
1903 births
1987 deaths
20th-century Danish painters
Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts alumni
Recipients of the Eckersberg Medal
Recipients of the Thorvaldsen Medal
People from Frederiksberg