The present little painting is a study of a bed, produced by the Danish artist Erik Henningsen (1855-1930). Erik Henningsen was born in Copenhagen in 1855. He attended the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen between 1873-1877. For most of his career, he specialised in the genre of social realism, which became popular in the latter quarter of the 19th century. Street scenes of big cities belonged to his repertoire as much as depictions of the life of the lower classes. He travelled to Germany, Italy, France and Holland. By the time Henningsen died in Copenhagen in 1930, he had achieved ample recognition with his art.
Henningsen's subject matter would normally be found in the abject condition of the working classes. In fact, the bed that features in the present painting appears in a larger, finished canvas, which Henningsen painted in 1920. It shows a family sitting out in the street following evacuation from their home, which has been destroyed by fire. The bed was one of the few belongings that the fire brigade had been able to save, and in the painting the family's two young daughters are seen sitting on it, vainly trying to comfort each other.
The larger canvas was painted for the Odense insurance company , the Fynske Købstæders Brandforsikring 1850, which specialized in fire insurance. According to the commemorative manual published to celebrate their centenary in 1950, the painting was hung in their main offices in a place where clients could see it. The painting was auctioned in 2013 [1]. Our study was made by Henningsen as a compositional study for this larger canvas.
Erik Henningsen is today regarded as one of his country's most significant realist painters. with his work being presented in most important Danish museums. Judging from the way in which the bed has been positioned in the composition, as well as the relatively few brushstrokes that have gone into the work, a hint of French realism can certainly be detected. It is clear from the study that Henningsen wanted the bed to appear faintly askew in the final canvas, allowing it to occupy a large slice of space at the front of the composition. But even as a study, it has a refreshing simplicity all of its own.
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1. It was auctioned at Bruun Rasmussen, Copenhagen, on 26 February 2013.
Henningsen's subject matter would normally be found in the abject condition of the working classes. In fact, the bed that features in the present painting appears in a larger, finished canvas, which Henningsen painted in 1920. It shows a family sitting out in the street following evacuation from their home, which has been destroyed by fire. The bed was one of the few belongings that the fire brigade had been able to save, and in the painting the family's two young daughters are seen sitting on it, vainly trying to comfort each other.
The larger canvas was painted for the Odense insurance company , the Fynske Købstæders Brandforsikring 1850, which specialized in fire insurance. According to the commemorative manual published to celebrate their centenary in 1950, the painting was hung in their main offices in a place where clients could see it. The painting was auctioned in 2013 [1]. Our study was made by Henningsen as a compositional study for this larger canvas.
Erik Henningsen is today regarded as one of his country's most significant realist painters. with his work being presented in most important Danish museums. Judging from the way in which the bed has been positioned in the composition, as well as the relatively few brushstrokes that have gone into the work, a hint of French realism can certainly be detected. It is clear from the study that Henningsen wanted the bed to appear faintly askew in the final canvas, allowing it to occupy a large slice of space at the front of the composition. But even as a study, it has a refreshing simplicity all of its own.
________________
1. It was auctioned at Bruun Rasmussen, Copenhagen, on 26 February 2013.
Study of a bed, ca. 1920
Oil on canvas
23 x 32 cm
Provenance
Private collection, Denmark
The present little painting is a study of a bed, produced by the Danish artist Erik Henningsen (1855-1930). Erik Henningsen was born in Copenhagen in 1855. He attended the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen between 1873-1877. For most of his career, he specialised in the genre of social realism, which became popular in the latter quarter of the 19th century. Street scenes of big cities belonged to his repertoire as much as depictions of the life of the lower classes. He travelled to Germany, Italy, France and Holland. By the time Henningsen died in Copenhagen in 1930, he had achieved ample recognition with his art.
Henningsen's subject matter would normally be found in the abject condition of the working classes. In fact, the bed that features in the present painting appears in a larger, finished canvas, which Henningsen painted in 1920. It shows a family sitting out in the street following evacuation from their home, which has been destroyed by fire. The bed was one of the few belongings that the fire brigade had been able to save, and in the painting the family's two young daughters are seen sitting on it, vainly trying to comfort each other.
The larger canvas was painted for the Odense insurance company , the Fynske Købstæders Brandforsikring 1850, which specialized in fire insurance. According to the commemorative manual published to celebrate their centenary in 1950, the painting was hung in their main offices in a place where clients could see it. The painting was auctioned in 2013 [1]. Our study was made by Henningsen as a compositional study for this larger canvas.
Erik Henningsen is today regarded as one of his country's most significant realist painters. with his work being presented in most important Danish museums. Judging from the way in which the bed has been positioned in the composition, as well as the relatively few brushstrokes that have gone into the work, a hint of French realism can certainly be detected. It is clear from the study that Henningsen wanted the bed to appear faintly askew in the final canvas, allowing it to occupy a large slice of space at the front of the composition. But even as a study, it has a refreshing simplicity all of its own.
________________
1. It was auctioned at Bruun Rasmussen, Copenhagen, on 26 February 2013.
Henningsen's subject matter would normally be found in the abject condition of the working classes. In fact, the bed that features in the present painting appears in a larger, finished canvas, which Henningsen painted in 1920. It shows a family sitting out in the street following evacuation from their home, which has been destroyed by fire. The bed was one of the few belongings that the fire brigade had been able to save, and in the painting the family's two young daughters are seen sitting on it, vainly trying to comfort each other.
The larger canvas was painted for the Odense insurance company , the Fynske Købstæders Brandforsikring 1850, which specialized in fire insurance. According to the commemorative manual published to celebrate their centenary in 1950, the painting was hung in their main offices in a place where clients could see it. The painting was auctioned in 2013 [1]. Our study was made by Henningsen as a compositional study for this larger canvas.
Erik Henningsen is today regarded as one of his country's most significant realist painters. with his work being presented in most important Danish museums. Judging from the way in which the bed has been positioned in the composition, as well as the relatively few brushstrokes that have gone into the work, a hint of French realism can certainly be detected. It is clear from the study that Henningsen wanted the bed to appear faintly askew in the final canvas, allowing it to occupy a large slice of space at the front of the composition. But even as a study, it has a refreshing simplicity all of its own.
________________
1. It was auctioned at Bruun Rasmussen, Copenhagen, on 26 February 2013.
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