Arne Haugen Sørensen (; born 27 April 1932) is a Danish painter and illustrator. Since the 1980s, he has become one of Denmark's most productive religious artists, decorating over 25 churches.

Biography

Born in Copenhagen, Haugen Sørensen had little training in art apart from evening courses in drawing and, after he arrived in Paris in 1950, brief introductions to etching and lithography in the schools run by

Stanley William Hayter Stanley William Hayter (27 December 1901 – 4 May 1988) was an English painter and master printmaker associated in the 1930s with surrealism and from 1940 onward with abstract expressionism. Regarded as one of the most significant printmakers ...

and Johnny Friedlander. Like his younger brother, Jørgen Haugen Sørensen, he was essentially self-taught as an artist. He debuted in 1953, at Kunsterners efterårsudstilling, thereafter regularly exhibiting at the Charlottenborg autumn exhibition and from 1967 at

Grønningen Grønningen is a Danish artists cooperative whose members arrange exhibitions and similar events. Founded in 1915, it is one of the oldest and most important groupings of its kind in Denmark and currently has 54 members. It is named after the str ...

. He also exhibited frequently in Paris, beginning with the 9e Salon de la Jeune Peinture in 1958. A long stay in

Mallorca Mallorca, or Majorca, is the largest of the Balearic Islands, which are part of Spain, and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, seventh largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. The capital of the island, Palma, Majorca, Palma, i ...

in 1962-63 enhanced his painting, inspired by bright light, colour and the underwater world he experienced as a diver. His early works appear rather abstract but he increasingly introduced animals and human figures. His work also benefited from his encounters with

Asger Jorn Asger Oluf Jorn (3 March 1914 – 1 May 1973) was a Danish painter, sculptor, ceramic artist, and author. He was a founding member of the avant-garde movement COBRA and the Situationist International. The largest collection of Jorn's works� ...

, Echaurren Matta and

Antonio Saura Antonio Saura Atarés (September 22, 1930 – July 22, 1998) was a Spanish artist and writer, one of the major post-war painters to emerge in Spain in the fifties whose work has marked several generations of artists and whose critical voice is ...

whom he met at the Clot et George workshop run by Peter Bramsen. By the time he moved back to Denmark in 1967, Haugen Sørensen had developed his own style of

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 ...

figurative painting in vivid colours, ironically presenting man's animal instincts and the absurdity of life. In the 1970s, he began to use acrylics, often with several layers of paint, in works including ''Pastorale med indbyggede katastrofer'' (1975), ''Dyr og damer'' (1979) and ''Frokost i det grønne'' (1979). Many of his works depict a predator pursuing a female victim, contrasting fear with aggression. Since the 1980s, Haugen Sørensen has become one of Denmark's most productive religious artists, decorating more than 25 churches with forceful, provocative works in a variety of art forms including painting, frescos, stained glass, ceramics and sculpture. His subjects include the

Binding of Isaac The Binding of Isaac (), or simply "The Binding" (), is a story from Book of Genesis#Patriarchal age (chapters 12–50), chapter 22 of the Book of Genesis in the Hebrew Bible. In the biblical narrative, God in Abrahamic religions, God orders A ...

, the

Last Supper Image:The Last Supper - Leonardo Da Vinci - High Resolution 32x16.jpg, 400px, alt=''The Last Supper'' by Leonardo da Vinci - Clickable Image, ''The Last Supper (Leonardo), The Last Supper'' (1495-1498). Mural, tempera on gesso, pitch and mastic ...

, the

Crucifixion Crucifixion is a method of capital punishment in which the condemned is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross, beam or stake and left to hang until eventual death. It was used as a punishment by the Achaemenid Empire, Persians, Ancient Carthag ...

, the

Resurrection Resurrection or anastasis is the concept of coming back to life after death. Reincarnation is a similar process hypothesized by other religions involving the same person or deity returning to another body. The disappearance of a body is anothe ...

and the

Supper at Emmaus According to the Gospel of Luke, the road to Emmaus appearance is one of the early post-resurrection appearances of Jesus after his crucifixion and the discovery of the empty tomb. Both the meeting on the road to Emmaus and the subsequent supper ...

. Since 1981, Haugen Sørensen has lived with his wife, the ceramist Dorthe Krabbe, near Malaga in Spain. Now in his 90s, he is still an active artist.

Awards

In 1975, Haugen Sørensen 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 ...

and, in 1984, the

Thorvaldsen Medal The Thorvaldsen Medal (Danish language, 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 th ...

. Also in 1984, he was decorated a Knight of the

Order of the Dannebrog The Order of the Dannebrog () is a Denmark, Danish order of chivalry instituted in 1671 by Christian V of Denmark, Christian V. Until 1808, membership in the Order was limited to fifty members of noble or royal rank, who formed a single cla ...

References

Literature

External links

Listings of Arne Haugen Sørensen's exhibitions and museums where his work is represented from KunstOnline

Illustrated list of Arne Haugen Sørensen's works in Danish museums
{{DEFAULTSORT:Haugen Sorensen 1932 births Living people 20th-century Danish painters 21st-century Danish painters 20th-century Danish illustrators 20th-century Danish ceramists Artists from Copenhagen Recipients of the Thorvaldsen Medal Recipients of the Eckersberg Medal Knights of the Order of the Dannebrog 20th-century Danish sculptors Danish male sculptors Lutheran art 21st-century Danish ceramists 21st-century Danish male artists 20th-century Danish male artists Danish male painters