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

Early life and education

Christian August Lorentzen was born in

Sønderborg (; ) is a Denmark, 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 28,333 (1 January 2025),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 par ...

. He arrived in

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 ...

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 , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

Antwerp Antwerp (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of Antwerp Province, and the third-largest city in Belgium by area at , after ...

and

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 ...

where he copied old masters. In 1792 he traveled to

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom 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 Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A Danish person, also called a "Dane", can be a national or citizen of Denmark (see Demographics of Denmark) * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, ...

, 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 Denmark–Norway, Dano–Norwegian dual monarchy. He was infl ...

(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 to 1810. 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. T ...

(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 Dannebrog (until the mid-20th century often spelled Danebrog) may refer to: Flags and orders * The flag of Denmark * Order of the Dannebrog (), a Royal Danish decoration Places * Dannebrog Island, an island in Greenland * Dannebrog Islands, ...

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 Danish 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