Christian August Lorentzen (10 August 1749 – 8 May 1828) was a

Danish painter This is a list of Danish painters who were born in or whose creative production is associated with Denmark: A * Axel Aabrink (1887–1965) * Jørgen Aabye (1868–1959) * Carl Frederik Aagaard (1833–1895) * Nikolaj Abraham Abildgaard (1 ...

Early life and education

Christian August Lorentzen was born in

Sønderborg (; german: Sonderburg ) is a Danish town in the Region of Southern Denmark. It is the main town and the administrative seat of Sønderborg Municipality (Kommune). The town has a population of 27,766 (1 January 2022),watchmaker A watchmaker is an artisan who makes and repairs watches. Since a majority of watches are now factory-made, most modern watchmakers only repair watches. However, originally they were master craftsmen who built watches, including all their part ...

. He arrived 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 a ...

around 1771 where he frequented the Royal Academy of Fine Arts but it is unclear whether he received formal training.Thomas Kappel. After arriving in Copenhagen, he was soon used as a portrait painter. From 1779 to 1782 he went abroad to develop his skills, visiting the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

and

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

where he copied old masters. In 1792 he traveled to

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of ...

to paint prospects.

Career

After returning home in 1782, he became a more versatile artist. In a number of painting, such as ''Slaget på Reden'' (''Battle of Copenhagen''. 1801) at Danish Museum of National History and ''Den rædsomste nat'' (''The Awful Night''. 1807) at

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 ha ...

, he documented key events from the English Wars between 1801 and 1814. Later in his career he mainly painted portraits, landscapes and scenes from the comedies of

Ludvig Holberg Ludvig Holberg, Baron of Holberg (3 December 1684 – 28 January 1754) was a writer, essayist, philosopher, historian and playwright born in Bergen, Norway, during the time of the Dano-Norwegian dual monarchy. He was influenced by Humanism, ...

(1684–1754). He was professor at the Royal Academy in Copenhagen from 1803 and until his death in 1828. He followed

Nicolai Abildgaard Nicolai Abraham Abildgaard (11 September 1743 – 4 June 1809) was a Danish neoclassical and royal history painter, sculptor, architect, and professor of painting, mythology, and anatomy at the New Royal Danish Academy of Art in Copenhage ...

(1743–1809) as the Academy Director from 1809–10. He exercised great influence on the next generation of painters such as

Martinus Rørbye Martinus Christian Wesseltoft Rørbye (; 17 May 1803 – 29 August 1848) was a Danish painter, known both for genre works and landscapes. He was a central figure of the Golden Age of Danish painting during the first half of the 19th century. The ...

(1803–1848) among others.

Gallery

Parti af Frederiksholms Kanal 1794.jpg, '' Frederiksholm Canal in Copenhagen'' (1794) Slaget paa Reden (1801 painting).jpg, '' Battle of Copenhagen'' (1801) Danmarks flag 1219 Lorentzen.jpg, '' Dannebrog falling from
heaven during the
Battle of Lindanise'' (1809) Model Class at the Copenhagen Academy.jpg, ''Model class at the

Danish Academy Danish Academy is an independent organisation founded in 1960 by a circle of Danish intellectuals "to promote Danish esprit and language, especially within the field of literature". It has up to 20 members, currently 18, and is based at Rungstedl ...

'' (ca. 1824)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lorentzen, Christian August 18th-century Danish painters 18th-century male artists Danish male painters 19th-century Danish painters 1749 births 1828 deaths Directors of the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts People from Sønderborg Municipality 19th-century Danish male artists

Early life and education

Career

Gallery

See also

References