Interior painting experienced a revival in 19th century European painting. Influenced by examples from the 17th century, like the Dutch masters Johannes Vermeer and Pieter de Hooch, Scandinavian artists like Carl Holsøe found much to fascinate them in the way interiors can shape an unspoken mood or sentiment. But unlike their 17th century predecessors, the artists of the 19th century no longer depicted the home as a sanctuary, a place of abode or the setting for a morality tale. The way in which ostensible trappings of middle class comfort could mask psychological distress became as much a thematic pursuit, undoubtedly influenced by the prevalence of symbolism and the quest for realism in late 19th century art. In the words of one German art historian: the home in 19th century art sometimes became decidedly unheimlich: unsettling[1].
In our painting, Carl Holsøe has portrayed a scene of solitude. A woman is sitting at the end of a long sofa, engaged in some kind of needlework. Judging by the way the room is decorated, she is clearly living in some affluence. The ornately framed painting hanging over her, as well as the stylish Persian Heriz rug, could only be found in the drawing rooms of the well off. The woman in question was almost certainly the artist’s wife, Emilie, who was very often the model that he used for his paintings. But in reality the identity of the person is of secondary importance: this is not meant to be a depiction of a specific person, but rather the evocation of a mood.
Holsøe has clearly decided to draw the viewer’s line of vision to the where the woman is sitting. By keeping the overall composition in muted colours, an atmosphere of sober dignity is created. The medallion-shaped patterns in the Persian rug as well as the flowers in the porcelain vase on the table add a splash of colour that is meant to contrast with the unmoving demeanour of the woman. What we are seeing is a person who seems trapped in the silence of her own home [2].
Carl Holsøe was born in Aarhus in 1863 as the son of an architect. He attended Copenhagen’s Royal Academy of Fine Arts in 1882 and switched to study at the Free School led by P.S. Krøyer, Denmark’s leading modernist, in 1884. It was there that he became friends with Vilhelm Hammershøi (1864-1916). Together with Peter Ilsted (1861-1933), they formed a triumvirate of artists who were conjoined in friendship and similar thematic pursuits.
Where Ilsted earned plaudits for his excellence as a Mezzotint printmaker, and Hammershøi soon established international fame with his almost psychological studies in stillness, Holsøe was perhaps the most “painterly” of the three. Whereas Hammershøi’s work sometimes conjures up feelings of an other-worldy evanescence, Holsøe’s paintings show a world that would have been very recognisable to his peers.
During his lifetime Holsøe enjoyed success as a much sought-after artist. Today, his work can be found in many leading museums, in Scandinavia but also elsewhere (Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza in Madrid).
_______________________
1. Or quite simply a place of ennui: an “Ort der Langeweile”. See Felix Krämer, Das unheimliche Heim. Zur Interieurmalerei um 1900, Cologne 2007, esp. pp. 27-61.
2. It is worth remembering that this creation of an “introspective” mood in painting was part of a wider trend in 19th-century European art. See for a comparison Otto von Simson, Der Blick nach Innen. Vier Beiträge zur deutschen Malerei des 19. Jahrhundert, Berlin 1986, passim.
In our painting, Carl Holsøe has portrayed a scene of solitude. A woman is sitting at the end of a long sofa, engaged in some kind of needlework. Judging by the way the room is decorated, she is clearly living in some affluence. The ornately framed painting hanging over her, as well as the stylish Persian Heriz rug, could only be found in the drawing rooms of the well off. The woman in question was almost certainly the artist’s wife, Emilie, who was very often the model that he used for his paintings. But in reality the identity of the person is of secondary importance: this is not meant to be a depiction of a specific person, but rather the evocation of a mood.
Holsøe has clearly decided to draw the viewer’s line of vision to the where the woman is sitting. By keeping the overall composition in muted colours, an atmosphere of sober dignity is created. The medallion-shaped patterns in the Persian rug as well as the flowers in the porcelain vase on the table add a splash of colour that is meant to contrast with the unmoving demeanour of the woman. What we are seeing is a person who seems trapped in the silence of her own home [2].
Carl Holsøe was born in Aarhus in 1863 as the son of an architect. He attended Copenhagen’s Royal Academy of Fine Arts in 1882 and switched to study at the Free School led by P.S. Krøyer, Denmark’s leading modernist, in 1884. It was there that he became friends with Vilhelm Hammershøi (1864-1916). Together with Peter Ilsted (1861-1933), they formed a triumvirate of artists who were conjoined in friendship and similar thematic pursuits.
Where Ilsted earned plaudits for his excellence as a Mezzotint printmaker, and Hammershøi soon established international fame with his almost psychological studies in stillness, Holsøe was perhaps the most “painterly” of the three. Whereas Hammershøi’s work sometimes conjures up feelings of an other-worldy evanescence, Holsøe’s paintings show a world that would have been very recognisable to his peers.
During his lifetime Holsøe enjoyed success as a much sought-after artist. Today, his work can be found in many leading museums, in Scandinavia but also elsewhere (Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza in Madrid).
_______________________
1. Or quite simply a place of ennui: an “Ort der Langeweile”. See Felix Krämer, Das unheimliche Heim. Zur Interieurmalerei um 1900, Cologne 2007, esp. pp. 27-61.
2. It is worth remembering that this creation of an “introspective” mood in painting was part of a wider trend in 19th-century European art. See for a comparison Otto von Simson, Der Blick nach Innen. Vier Beiträge zur deutschen Malerei des 19. Jahrhundert, Berlin 1986, passim.
Solitude, c. 1900
Signed lower right: C Holsöe
oil on canvas
59 x 51 cm
Provenance
Private collection, Copenhagen
Interior painting experienced a revival in 19th century European painting. Influenced by examples from the 17th century, like the Dutch masters Johannes Vermeer and Pieter de Hooch, Scandinavian artists like Carl Holsøe found much to fascinate them in the way interiors can shape an unspoken mood or sentiment. But unlike their 17th century predecessors, the artists of the 19th century no longer depicted the home as a sanctuary, a place of abode or the setting for a morality tale. The way in which ostensible trappings of middle class comfort could mask psychological distress became as much a thematic pursuit, undoubtedly influenced by the prevalence of symbolism and the quest for realism in late 19th century art. In the words of one German art historian: the home in 19th century art sometimes became decidedly unheimlich: unsettling[1].
In our painting, Carl Holsøe has portrayed a scene of solitude. A woman is sitting at the end of a long sofa, engaged in some kind of needlework. Judging by the way the room is decorated, she is clearly living in some affluence. The ornately framed painting hanging over her, as well as the stylish Persian Heriz rug, could only be found in the drawing rooms of the well off. The woman in question was almost certainly the artist’s wife, Emilie, who was very often the model that he used for his paintings. But in reality the identity of the person is of secondary importance: this is not meant to be a depiction of a specific person, but rather the evocation of a mood.
Holsøe has clearly decided to draw the viewer’s line of vision to the where the woman is sitting. By keeping the overall composition in muted colours, an atmosphere of sober dignity is created. The medallion-shaped patterns in the Persian rug as well as the flowers in the porcelain vase on the table add a splash of colour that is meant to contrast with the unmoving demeanour of the woman. What we are seeing is a person who seems trapped in the silence of her own home [2].
Carl Holsøe was born in Aarhus in 1863 as the son of an architect. He attended Copenhagen’s Royal Academy of Fine Arts in 1882 and switched to study at the Free School led by P.S. Krøyer, Denmark’s leading modernist, in 1884. It was there that he became friends with Vilhelm Hammershøi (1864-1916). Together with Peter Ilsted (1861-1933), they formed a triumvirate of artists who were conjoined in friendship and similar thematic pursuits.
Where Ilsted earned plaudits for his excellence as a Mezzotint printmaker, and Hammershøi soon established international fame with his almost psychological studies in stillness, Holsøe was perhaps the most “painterly” of the three. Whereas Hammershøi’s work sometimes conjures up feelings of an other-worldy evanescence, Holsøe’s paintings show a world that would have been very recognisable to his peers.
During his lifetime Holsøe enjoyed success as a much sought-after artist. Today, his work can be found in many leading museums, in Scandinavia but also elsewhere (Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza in Madrid).
_______________________
1. Or quite simply a place of ennui: an “Ort der Langeweile”. See Felix Krämer, Das unheimliche Heim. Zur Interieurmalerei um 1900, Cologne 2007, esp. pp. 27-61.
2. It is worth remembering that this creation of an “introspective” mood in painting was part of a wider trend in 19th-century European art. See for a comparison Otto von Simson, Der Blick nach Innen. Vier Beiträge zur deutschen Malerei des 19. Jahrhundert, Berlin 1986, passim.
In our painting, Carl Holsøe has portrayed a scene of solitude. A woman is sitting at the end of a long sofa, engaged in some kind of needlework. Judging by the way the room is decorated, she is clearly living in some affluence. The ornately framed painting hanging over her, as well as the stylish Persian Heriz rug, could only be found in the drawing rooms of the well off. The woman in question was almost certainly the artist’s wife, Emilie, who was very often the model that he used for his paintings. But in reality the identity of the person is of secondary importance: this is not meant to be a depiction of a specific person, but rather the evocation of a mood.
Holsøe has clearly decided to draw the viewer’s line of vision to the where the woman is sitting. By keeping the overall composition in muted colours, an atmosphere of sober dignity is created. The medallion-shaped patterns in the Persian rug as well as the flowers in the porcelain vase on the table add a splash of colour that is meant to contrast with the unmoving demeanour of the woman. What we are seeing is a person who seems trapped in the silence of her own home [2].
Carl Holsøe was born in Aarhus in 1863 as the son of an architect. He attended Copenhagen’s Royal Academy of Fine Arts in 1882 and switched to study at the Free School led by P.S. Krøyer, Denmark’s leading modernist, in 1884. It was there that he became friends with Vilhelm Hammershøi (1864-1916). Together with Peter Ilsted (1861-1933), they formed a triumvirate of artists who were conjoined in friendship and similar thematic pursuits.
Where Ilsted earned plaudits for his excellence as a Mezzotint printmaker, and Hammershøi soon established international fame with his almost psychological studies in stillness, Holsøe was perhaps the most “painterly” of the three. Whereas Hammershøi’s work sometimes conjures up feelings of an other-worldy evanescence, Holsøe’s paintings show a world that would have been very recognisable to his peers.
During his lifetime Holsøe enjoyed success as a much sought-after artist. Today, his work can be found in many leading museums, in Scandinavia but also elsewhere (Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza in Madrid).
_______________________
1. Or quite simply a place of ennui: an “Ort der Langeweile”. See Felix Krämer, Das unheimliche Heim. Zur Interieurmalerei um 1900, Cologne 2007, esp. pp. 27-61.
2. It is worth remembering that this creation of an “introspective” mood in painting was part of a wider trend in 19th-century European art. See for a comparison Otto von Simson, Der Blick nach Innen. Vier Beiträge zur deutschen Malerei des 19. Jahrhundert, Berlin 1986, passim.
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