Gad Frederik Clement, generally known as G. F. Clement (9 July 1867 – 7 January 1933), was a Danish painter. After an early encounter with the French Symbolists, he took an interest in the Italian Renaissance period before turning to the more relaxed style of Naturalism in

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 ...

and Civita d'Antino.

Early life and education

Born in

Frederiksberg Frederiksberg () is a part of the Capital Region of Denmark. It is an independent municipality, Frederiksberg Municipality, separate from Copenhagen Municipality, but both are a part of the region of Copenhagen. It occupies an area of less tha ...

, he was the son of an accountant. After an apprenticeship as a house painter, he studied art under Hans Grønvold at Copenhagen's Technical School (1883–85) before attending the

Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts 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 graduated in 1888. He then studied under

Laurits Tuxen Laurits Regner Tuxen (9 December 1853 – 21 November 1927) was a Danish painter and sculptor specialising in figure painting. He was also associated with the Skagen Painters. He was the first head of Kunstnernes Frie Studieskoler, an art sc ...

and Frans Schwartz at Kunstnernes Frie Studieskoler (1888–92) before completing his studies under

Kristian Zahrtmann Peder Henrik Kristian Zahrtmann, known as Kristian Zahrtmann, (31 March 1843 – 22 June 1917) was a Danish painter. He was a part of the Danish artistic generation in the late 19th century, along with Peder Severin Krøyer and Theodor Philipsen, ...

in 1901.Vera Rasmussen, "G. F. Clement"
''Kunstindeks Danmark & Weilbachs Kunstnerleksikon''. Retrieved 28 October 2013.

Career

In his early years, Clement was significantly influenced by his friend

Mogens Ballin Mogens Ballin (20 March 1871, Copenhagen – 27 January 1914, Hellerup) was a Danish artist, one of a group of painters who gathered in the Breton village of Pont-Aven. He later became a notable silversmith designing jewelry and lamps.

who introduced him to modern French

Symbolist Symbolism or symbolist may refer to: *Symbol, any object or sign that represents an idea Arts *Artistic symbol, an element of a literary, visual, or other work of art that represents an idea ** Color symbolism, the use of colors within various c ...

painting. In 1890, he was introduced to

Paul Gauguin Eugène Henri Paul Gauguin (; ; 7 June 1848 – 8 May 1903) was a French painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramist, and writer, whose work has been primarily associated with the Post-Impressionist and Symbolist movements. He was also an influ ...

and his friends in France, leading him to associate with

Johannes Jørgensen Jens Johannes Jørgensen (6 November 1866, in Svendborg – 29 May 1956) was a Danish writer, best known for his biographies of Catholic saints. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature five times. Early days Johannes Jørgensen was ...

, founder of the journal ''

Taarnet ''Taarnet'' (Danish language, Danish: ''The Tower'') was a monthly art and literary magazine founded and edited by Johannes Jørgensen in Copenhagen, Denmark. It was subtitled as Illustreret Tidsskrift for Kunst og Litteratur (Danish: Illustrated ...

'' which promoted Symbolism. The Symbolist style clearly comes out in his ''Den hellige Frans og de tre hvide jomfruer'' and in the other works he exhibited at

Kunsthal Charlottenborg Kunsthal Charlottenborg is an exhibition building in Copenhagen, Denmark. It is the official exhibition gallery of the Royal Danish Academy of Art. History Charlottenborg Palace was constructed in 1672–83 as a residence for Ulrik Frederik Gy ...

in 1893. However, his journeys to Italy from 1890 soon inspired him to take an interest in

Italian Renaissance art Italian Renaissance painting is the painting of the period beginning in the late 13th century and flourishing from the early 15th to late 16th centuries, occurring in the Italian Peninsula, which was at that time divided into many political stat ...

, prompting him to copy works by

Masaccio Masaccio (, ; ; December 21, 1401 – summer 1428), born Tommaso di Ser Giovanni di Simone, was a Florentine artist who is regarded as the first great List of Italian painters, Italian painter of the Quattrocento period of the Italian Renaiss ...

and

Lorenzo di Credi Lorenzo di Credi (1456/59 – January 12, 1537) was an Italian Renaissance painter and sculptor best known for his paintings of religious subjects, and portraits. With some excursions to nearby cities, his whole life was spent in Florence. ...

. The clarity and colour of this approach can be seen in his ''Portræt af en landsbypræst, pastor Vaupell'' (1894) and ''Fru Bertha Brandstrup'' (1898). After the turn of the century, Clement moved away from this demanding style, preferring the more relaxed idiom of Naturalism."G. F. Clement"
''Dansk Biografisk Leksikon''. Retrieved 28 October 2013. He began to concentrate on landscapes, especially in Italy where his travels took him to Rome and especially on several occasions to Civita d'Antino from 1900 to 1904. He also became a frequent visitor to the

artists' colony Art colonies are organic congregations of artists in towns, villages and rural areas, who are often drawn to areas of natural beauty, the prior existence of other artists, art schools there, or a lower cost of living. They are typically mission- ...

in the north of

Jutland Jutland (; , ''Jyske Halvø'' or ''Cimbriske Halvø''; , ''Kimbrische Halbinsel'' or ''Jütische Halbinsel'') is a peninsula of Northern Europe that forms the continental portion of Denmark and part of northern Germany (Schleswig-Holstein). It ...

where he and his wife Tupsy were often in the company of Laurits Tuxen and

Viggo Johansen Viggo Johansen (3 January 1851 – 18 December 1935) was a Danish painter and active member of the group of Skagen Painters who met every summer in the north of Jutland Jutland (; , ''Jyske Halvø'' or ''Cimbriske Halvø''; , ''Kimbrische H ...

. From 1920, the couple spent most of their summers in Italy. In addition to landscapes, he also painted portraits, flowers and figures indoors. His paintings of children reveal a high level of unsentimental understanding of his subjects.

Marriage

In 1902 while in Rome, Clement married the Norwegian painter Tupsy Clement who accompanied him to Skagen each summer from 1908 to 1920 and thereafter to Italy. His wife survived him after his death in Copenhagen in 1933. One of their daughters, Lillemor Clement, became a well known ceramist in Denmark.

Honours and awards

Clement was a member of the Academy's board (1920–29). He received many awards including the Academy's prize and the gold medal from Munich."Gad Frederik Clément"
Gravsted.dk. Retrieved 28 October 2013.

Literature

''Arbejder af Maleren G. F. Clement''
Copenhagen, Kunstforeningen 1920. List of Clement's works.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clement, Gad Frederick 1867 births 1933 deaths 19th-century Danish painters Danish male painters 20th-century Danish painters Skagen Painters Painters from Copenhagen Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts alumni Artists from Frederiksberg 19th-century Danish male artists 20th-century Danish male artists