Holger Jens Sophus Jensen (21 April 1900 – 24 July 1966) was a Danish painter.

Biography

Born in Copenhagen, Jensen studied painting at 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 ...

under

Ejnar Nielsen Ejnar Nielsen (9 July 1872 – 21 July 1956) was a Danish painter and illustrator, who was a central proponent of Symbolist painting in Danish art. He is also known for his large mosaic on Stærekassen, an extension to the Royal Danish Theat ...

(1921–24) and went on to study graphic arts there under

Aksel Jørgensen Aksel Jørgensen (3 February 1883 – 9 June 1957) was a Denmark, Danish painter and Wood engraving, wood engraver. He is also remembered for his years as the director and professor at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, Royal Danish Academy wh ...

, completing his studies in 1930. Inspired by

Cubism Cubism is an early-20th-century avant-garde art movement which began in Paris. It revolutionized painting and the visual arts, and sparked artistic innovations in music, ballet, literature, and architecture. Cubist subjects are analyzed, broke ...

and

Fauvism Fauvism ( ) is a style of painting and an art movement that emerged in France at the beginning of the 20th century. It was the style of (, ''the wild beasts''), a group of modern artists whose works emphasized painterly qualities and strong col ...

as well as by Cézanne's approach to form and colour, he painted still lifes, portraits and landscapes, including scenes of

Bornholm Bornholm () is a List of islands of Denmark, Danish island in the Baltic Sea, to the east of the rest of Denmark, south of Sweden, northeast of Germany and north of Poland. Strategically located, Bornholm has been fought over for centuries. I ...

and

Frederiksberg Park Frederiksberg Gardens ( Danish: Frederiksberg Have) is one of the largest and most attractive greenspaces in Copenhagen, Denmark. Together with the adjacent Søndermarken it forms a green area of 64 hectares at the western edge of Inner Copenhage ...

. Shortly after leaving the Academy, he exhibited at the Artists Autumn Exhibition (''Kunsternes Eferårsudstilling'') in 1927 as well as at Charlottenborg. In 1928, he was one of the founders of the ''Decembristerne'', an artists association which he belonged to for the rest of his life. In later life Jensen turned to

Expressionism Expressionism is a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Northern Europe around the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it rad ...

, painting landscapes and cityscapes as well as interiors and self-portraits. He also became expert at

woodcuts Woodcut is a relief printing technique in printmaking. An artist carves an image into the surface of a block of wood—typically with Chisel#Gouge, gouges—leaving the printing parts level with the surface while removing the non-printing parts ...

and

lithography Lithography () is a planographic method of printing originally based on the miscibility, immiscibility of oil and water. The printing is from a stone (lithographic limestone) or a metal plate with a smooth surface. It was invented in 1796 by ...

, achieving various shades of grey, but he limited his work to teaching rather than publication. He was indeed an acclaimed teacher at the Academy, counting Helle Thorborg, Erik Lagoni Jacobsen and Vera Myhre among his students. Despite wide recognition, Jensen did not excel in his career. He suffered from personal problems and poor health although this cannot be seen in his work. Most of his paintings are full of bright warm colours. His paintings can be seen in Statens Museum for Kunst and in many provincial museums as well as in the hospital at Vejle.

Awards

In 1951, Jensen was awarded the

Eckersberg Medal The Eckersberg Medal (originally the ''Akademiets Aarsmedaille'' or Annual Academy Medal) is an annual award of the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts. It is named after Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg, known as the father of Danish painting. The ...

References

Literature

External links

Illustrated list of Holger J. Jensen's works in Danish museums from Kunstindeks Danmark
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jensen, Holger J. 1900 births 1966 deaths 20th-century Danish painters Painters from Copenhagen Recipients of the Eckersberg Medal Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts alumni Academic staff of the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts Place of death missing