Johan Laurentz Jensen, often referred to as J. L. Jensen (8 March 1800 – 26 March 1856), was a Danish artist who specialized in flower painting."J. L. Jensen"
''Den Store Danske''. Retrieved 9 June 2011.

Early life and education

In parallel with his studies 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 ...

, he became a pupil of

Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg (2 January 1783 – 22 July 1853) was a Danish painter. He was born in Blåkrog in the Duchy of Schleswig (now in Aabenraa Municipality, in the southern part of Jutland in Denmark). He went on to lay the foun ...

and also of

Cladius Detlev Fritzsch Cladius (Claus) Detlev Fritzsch (10 June 1765 – 17 November 1841), normally referred to as C. D. Fritzsch, was a Danes, Danish flower painter. Biography Fritzsch was born on 10 June 1765 in Kiel. He traveled to Copenhagen and attended the Roya ...

. Specializing in flower painting, Jensen continued his education in Paris under the Flemish flower painting brothers,

Gérard Gérard (French language, French: ) is a French masculine given name and surname of Germanic languages, Germanic origin, variations of which exist in many Germanic and Romance languages. Like many other Germanic name, early Germanic names, it is ...

and Cornelis van Spaendonck, and at the porcelain factory in Sèvres where he learnt the art of miniature flower painting.

Career

Taking 17th-century Dutch flower painting as a starting point, he revived the art in Denmark. His floral arrangements often had both a decorative and symbolic value. Danish plants were often accompanied by exotic flowers and fruits, sometimes even birds. He also became head artist at the Danish Porcelain Factory. Jensen had an extensive circle of customers and many students, especially women, including

Louise of Hesse-Kassel Louise of Hesse-Kassel (, ; 7 September 1817 – 29 September 1898) was Queen of Denmark as the wife of King Christian IX from 15 November 1863 until her death in 1898. From 1863 to 1864, she was concurrently Duchess of Schleswig, Holstein an ...

who later married

King Christian IX Christian IX (8 April 181829 January 1906) was King of Denmark from 15 November 1863 until his death in 1906. From 1863 to 1864, he was concurrently Duke of Schleswig, Holstein and Lauenburg. A younger son of Frederick William, Duke of Schleswi ...

. Since the 1980s, his works have gained wide international recognition. Many are exhibited in Statens Museum for Kunst and in

Thorvaldsens Museum The Thorvaldsen Museum is a single-artist museum in Copenhagen, Denmark, dedicated to the art of Danish and Icelandic Neoclassical sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen (1770–1844), who lived and worked in Rome for most of his life (1796–1838). The ...

Style

Jensen's flowers were typically arranged as a bouquet standing in a vase, usually on a tray. A dark neutral background helped to emphasize the light colourful tones of the flowers. Roses were often the principal subject, sometimes set off with another flower such as a lilly or with several flowers of different varieties. Jensen mastered the art of reproducing nature. His appreciation of earlier masterpieces can be seen in his own work. His paintings characteristically are rich in colour and variety. Some of them depict flowers lying on a table or in a basket, perhaps strung together in a wreath. While he was one of several artists who painted exotic plants from Rosenborg, he was happiest when he was painting out in the country at Gentofte, sometimes painting wild flowers or strawberries. Some of his works from the 1840s contain exotic fruits or even birds.

Personal life

Larsen married Signe Marie Vilhelmine Visby (1804-1884). In 1840 they resided in a first-floor apartment at Købmagergade 55.

Selected works

The following works are displayed in Statens Museum for Kunst:Works by J.L. Jensen
, ''Statens Museum for Kunst''. Retrieved 11 June 2011. *''En ananas og andre frugter'' (1832) *''En kurv med frugter på en træstub'' (1844) *''En kårde med laurbærkrans'' (1848) *''En vase med blomster'' (1834) *''Forskellige frugter, blandt andet melon og vindruer'' (1852) *''Kamelier og rhododendron'' (1852) *''Skudt vildt'' (1846)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jensen, Johan Laurentz 1800 births 1856 deaths Painters from Copenhagen Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts alumni 19th-century Danish painters Danish male painters Danish still life painters Danish flower artists 19th-century Danish male artists