Peder Severin Krøyer (; 23 July 1851 – 21 November 1909), also known as P. S. Krøyer, was a Danish painter.

Life

Growing up and early training

Krøyer was born in

Stavanger Stavanger, officially the Stavanger Municipality, is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Norway. It is the third largest city and third largest metropolitan area in Norway (through conurbation with neighboring Sandnes) and the ...

, Norway, on 23 July 1851 to a single mother, Ellen Cecilie Gjesdal. He was raised by Gjesdal's sister, Bertha Cecilie (born 1817) and brother-in-law, the Danish zoologist

Henrik Nikolai Krøyer Henrik Nikolai Krøyer (22 March 1799 – 14 November 1870) was a Danish zoologist. Born in Copenhagen, he was a brother of the composer Hans Ernst Krøyer. He started studying medicine at the University of Copenhagen in 1817, which he later c ...

, after his mother was judged unfit to care for him. Krøyer moved to

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

to live with his foster parents soon afterward. Having begun his art education at the age of nine under private tutelage, he was enrolled in Copenhagen's Technical Institute the following year. In 1870, at the age of 19, Krøyer completed his studies at the

Royal Danish Academy of Art The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts () 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 Danish Academy of Portraiture, Sculpture, and Architecture in Cope ...

('), where he had studied with Frederik Vermehren. In 1873 he was awarded the gold medal, as well as a scholarship.

Early career

His official debut as a painter was in 1871 at Charlottenborg with a portrait of a friend, the painter . He exhibited regularly at Charlottenborg throughout his life. In 1874 Heinrich Hirschsprung bought his first painting from Krøyer, establishing a long-standing patronage. Hirschsprung's collection of art forms the basis of the Hirschsprung Museum in Copenhagen.

Travels

Between 1877 and 1881, Krøyer travelled extensively in Europe, meeting artists, studying art, and developing his skills and outlook. He stayed in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

and studied under

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

, and undoubtedly came under the influence of contemporary

impressionists Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by visible brush strokes, open composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passage of time), ordinary subjec ...

–

Claude Monet Oscar-Claude Monet (, ; ; 14 November 1840 – 5 December 1926) was a French painter and founder of Impressionism painting who is seen as a key precursor to modernism, especially in his attempts to paint nature as he perceived it. During his ...

Alfred Sisley Alfred Sisley (; ; 30 October 1839 – 29 January 1899) was an Impressionist landscape painter who was born and spent most of his life in France, but retained British citizenship. He was the most consistent of the Impressionists in his dedic ...

Edgar Degas Edgar Degas (, ; born Hilaire-Germain-Edgar De Gas, ; 19 July 183427 September 1917) was a French Impressionist artist famous for his pastel drawings and oil paintings. Degas also produced bronze sculptures, prints, and drawings. Degas is e ...

Pierre-Auguste Renoir Pierre-Auguste Renoir (; ; 25 February 1841 – 3 December 1919) was a French people, French artist who was a leading painter in the development of the Impressionism, Impressionist style. As a celebrator of beauty and especially femininity, fe ...

and

Édouard Manet Édouard Manet (, ; ; 23 January 1832 – 30 April 1883) was a French Modernism, modernist painter. He was one of the first 19th-century artists to paint modern life, as well as a pivotal figure in the transition from Realism (art movement), R ...

. He continued to travel throughout his life, constantly drawing inspiration from foreign artists and cultures. Hirschsprung provided financial support during the early travels, and Krøyer continued exhibiting in Denmark throughout this period.

Krøyer comes to Skagen

In 1882 he returned to Denmark. He spent June–October at

Skagen Skagen () is the northernmost town in Denmark, on the east coast of the Skagen Odde peninsula in the far north of Jutland, part of Frederikshavn Municipality in North Denmark Region, Nordjylland, north of Frederikshavn and northeast of Aalbo ...

, then a remote fishing village on the northern tip of Denmark, painting themes from local life, as well as depictions of the artistic community there. He would continue to be associated with the developing art and literary scene at Skagen. Other artists at Skagen included writers

Holger Drachmann Holger Henrik Herholdt Drachmann (9 October 1846 – 14 January 1908) was a Danish poet, dramatist and painter. He was a member of the Skagen Painters, Skagen artistic colony and became a figure of the Scandinavian Modern Breakthrough Movem ...

Georg Brandes Georg Morris Cohen Brandes (4 February 1842 – 19 February 1927) was a Danish critic and scholar who greatly influenced Scandinavian and European literature from the 1870s through the turn of the 20th century. He is seen as the theorist behind ...

and Henrik Pontoppidan, and artists

Michael Ancher Michael Peter Ancher (9 June 1849 – 19 September 1927) was a Danish Realism (art movement), realist artist, widely known for his paintings of fishermen, the Skagerak and the North Sea, and other scenes from the Danish fishing community in Skag ...

and

Anna Ancher Anna Ancher (18 August 1859 – 15 April 1935) was a Danish artist associated with the Skagen Painters, an artist colony on the northern point of Jylland, Denmark. She is considered to be one of Denmark's greatest visual artists. Background An ...

. Krøyer divided his time between rented houses in Skagen during the summer, a winter apartment in Copenhagen where he worked on his large commissioned portraits, and travel outside of the country.

Krøyer and Marie

On a trip to

in 1888 he encountered Marie Martha Mathilde Triepcke, whom he had known in Copenhagen. They fell in love and, after a whirlwind romance, married on 23 July 1889 at her parents' home in Germany. Marie Krøyer, who was also a painter, became associated with the Skagen community, and after their marriage was often featured in Krøyer's paintings. The couple had one child, a daughter named Vibeke, born in January 1895. They were divorced in 1905 following a prolonged separation. Krøyer's eyesight failed him gradually over the last ten years of his life until he was totally blind. Ever the optimist, he painted almost to the end, in spite of health obstacles. In fact, he painted some of his last masterpieces while half-blind, joking that the eyesight in his one working eye had become better with the loss of the other eye. Krøyer died in 1909 in Skagen at 58 years of age after years of declining health. He had also been in and out of

hospital A hospital is a healthcare institution providing patient treatment with specialized Medical Science, health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically ...

s, suffering from bouts of mental illness.

Works

Krøyer's best known and best-loved work is entitled ''Summer Evening on Skagen's Southern Beach with

and Marie Krøyer'' ('), 1893. He painted many beach scenes featuring both recreation life on the beach (bathers, strollers), and local fishermen. Another popular work is '' Midsummer Eve Bonfire on Skagen Beach'' (''Sankthansbål på Skagen strand''), 1906. This large-scale work features a great crowd of the artistic and influential Skagen community gathered around a large bonfire on the beach on Saint John's Eve ( Midsummer Eve). Both of these works are in the permanent collection of the

Skagens Museum Skagens Museum is an art museum in Skagen, Denmark, that exhibits an extensive collection of works by members of the colony of Skagen Painters who lived and worked in the area in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Important artists include M ...

which is dedicated to that community of artists, including those who gathered around Krøyer, a great organizer and bon vivant.

Gallery

File:Peder Severin Krøyer - The Hirschsprung family portrait. From the left Ivar, Aage, Heinrich, Oscar, Robert, Pauline and Ell... - Google Art Project.jpg, '' The Hirschsprung family portrait'', 1881 File:Peder Severin Krøyer - A the victualler's when there is no fishing - Google Art Project.jpg, ''In the store when there is no fishing'', 1882 File:P.S. Krøyer - Artists' luncheon at Brøndum's Hotel - Google Art Project.jpg, ''Artists' Luncheon at

'', 1883 File:Krøyer fiskere trækker vod.jpg, ''Fishermen hauling nets, North Beach, Skagen'', 1883 File:Krøyer Sommerdag ved Skagens Sønderstrand 1884.jpg, ''Summer Day on Skagen's Southern Beach'' 1884 File:Krøyer Komiteen for den franske Kunstudstilling i København 1888.jpg, ''Committee for the French Art Exhibition in Copenhagen 1888'', 1888 File:Peder Severin Krøyer - Osteria in Ravello. - Google Art Project.jpg, Osteria in Ravello, 1890 File:Peder Severin Krøyer - Loggia in Ravello - Google Art Project.jpg, Loggia in Ravello, 1890 File:P.S. Krøyer - Marie Krøyer - Google Art Project.jpg, ''Marie Krøyer'', 1891 File:Summer evening at Skagen - P.S. Krøyer - Google Cultural Institute.jpg, '' Summer Evening at Skagen. The Artist's Wife and Dog by the Shore'', 1892 File:Peder Severin Krøyer - A luncheon. The artist, his wife and the writer Otto Benzon - Google Art Project.jpg, A breakfast. The artist, his wife and the writer Otto Benzon, 1893 File:P.S. Krøyer - Roses. Marie Krøyer seated in the deckchair in the garden by Mrs Bendsen's house - Google Art Project.jpg, ''

Roses A rose is either a woody perennial flowering plant of the genus ''Rosa'' (), in the family Rosaceae (), or the flower it bears. There are over three hundred species and tens of thousands of cultivars. They form a group of plants that can be e ...

'', 1893 File:Fra Københavns Børs.jpg, ''From the Bourse of Copenhagen'', 1895 Image:P S Krøyer 1897 - Døtrene Benzon.jpg, ''The Benzon daughters'', 1897 File:P S Krøyer 1899 - Sommeraften ved Skagens strand. Kunstneren og hans hustru.jpg, ''

Summer Evening at Skagen Beach – The Artist and his Wife ''Summer Evening at Skagen Beach – The Artist and his Wife'' () is an 1899 painting by Peder Severin Krøyer. One of the best known paintings of the Skagen Painters, it depicts Krøyer with his wife Marie and his dog Rap strolling on the beach ...

'', 1899 File:Midsummer Eve bonfire on Skagen's beach - P.S. Krøyer - Google Cultural Institute.jpg, '' Midsummer Eve Bonfire on Skagen Beach'', 1906

References

KID Kunst Index Danmark ("Art Index Denmark")

Danish Biographical Encyclopedia ("''Dansk Biografisk Lexikon''")

Literature

* * * *

External links

Skagens Museum

P. S. Krøyer in Hirschsprungske Samling

Another selection
of his paintings *Jennifer A. Thompson,
''Interior of a Tavern'' by Peter Severin Krøyer (cat. 1015)
" in
The John G. Johnson Collection: A History and Selected Works
', a Philadelphia Museum of Art free digital publication. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kroeyer, Peder Severin 19th-century Danish painters Danish male painters 20th-century Danish painters Skagen Painters 1851 births 1909 deaths Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts alumni Artists from Stavanger Norwegian emigrants to Denmark Recipients of the Thorvaldsen Medal 19th-century Danish male artists 20th-century Danish male artists