Johan Thomas Lundbye (1 September 1818 – 25 April 1848) was a Danish
painter
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ...
and graphic artist, known for his animal and
landscape painting
Landscape painting, also known as landscape art, is the depiction of natural scenery such as mountains, valleys, trees, rivers, and forests, especially where the main subject is a wide view—with its elements arranged into a coherent com ...
s. He was inspired by Niels Laurits Høyen's call to develop nationalistic art through depictions of Denmark's characteristic landscapes; the historical buildings and monuments, and the country's simple, rural people. He became one of his generation's
national romantic
Romantic nationalism (also national romanticism, organic nationalism, identity nationalism) is the form of nationalism in which the state claims its political legitimacy as an organic consequence of the unity of those it governs. This includes ...
Lorenz Frølich
Lorenz Frølich (25 October 182025 October 1908) was a Danish painter, illustrator, graphic artist and etcher.
Early life and education
Frølich was born into a wealthy bourgeouis family in Copenhagen. The son of Johan Jacob Frølich (1777-185 ...
, to regularly depict the landscape of
Zealand
Zealand ( da, Sjælland ) at 7,031 km2 is the largest and most populous island in Denmark proper (thus excluding Greenland and Disko Island, which are larger in size). Zealand had a population of 2,319,705 on 1 January 2020.
It is th ...
.
Biography
He was born in
Kalundborg
Kalundborg () is a Danish city with a population of 16,211 (1 January 2022),Zealand
Zealand ( da, Sjælland ) at 7,031 km2 is the largest and most populous island in Denmark proper (thus excluding Greenland and Disko Island, which are larger in size). Zealand had a population of 2,319,705 on 1 January 2020.
It is th ...
, Denmark. He was one of the sons of Joachim Theodor Lundbye (1778–1841) and Cathrine Bonnevie (1792–1863). He came from a military family and was the brother of Christen Carl Lundbye (1812–1873) and Emanuel Andreas Lundbye (1814–1903) both of whom served as Danish military officers.
He was sickly as a child and moved with his family to
Copenhagen
Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...
. The family later came to
Frederikssund
Frederikssund () is a Danish town, seat of the Frederikssund Municipality, in the Region Hovedstaden with a population of 16,850 (1 January 2022).Christian Holm (1804–1846) and at the age of 14 he came into the drawing school of Johan Ludwig Lund (1777–1867).
In 1832, he came to the Royal Danish Academy of Art in
Copenhagen
Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...
, where he finished in 1842. He began exhibiting in 1835, and in 1839 he made '' En gravhøj fra oldtiden ved Raklev på Refsnæs'' (''An Ancient Burial Mound by Raklev on Refsnæs'' (1839) and his painting ''Parti af Dyrehaven med Hjorte og Hinde'' (''View of the Deer Park with Stag and Hind'') was purchased by ''
Kunstforeningen
Kunstforeningen ( English The Art Society), now officially called Gammel Strand after its address, is an exhibition space and non-profit membership organization located at Gammel Strand in Copenhagen, Denmark. It was founded in 1825 to promote an ...
'', the influential art society associated with art historian and critic Niels Laurits Høyen (1798–1870).
In the years to come he would focus his painting on depicting landscapes. His large "''Kystparti ved Isefjord''" ("Coast View by Isefjord") was exhibited in 1843 and purchased by the Royal Painting Collection, now the Danish National Gallery (''Statens Museum for Kunst''). He illustrated ''Fabler for Børn: Et halvhundrede Billeder'' by poet Hans Vilhelm Kaalund (1818–1885), a book of poetry for young children published in 1845.
He received a travel grant from the Academy in 1845, which was renewed a year later. On 5 June 1845 he left Denmark and traveled through Germany (Altona, Düsseldorf, Cologne, Mainz, Strasbourg), over the Rhine to Switzerland (Basel, Geneva) to France (Marseilles), and then to Italy, where he painted "''Oxer i den romerske Kampagne''" ("Oxen in the Roman Campagne"), which was exhibited in 1847 and purchased by the Royal Painting Collection.
He returned to Denmark on 18 July 1846 after a year and half. He surprised his circle of friends and announced that he was going to live in the country for a year, and took a little farm near
Helsingør
Helsingør ( , ; sv, Helsingör), classically known in English as Elsinore ( ), is a city in eastern Denmark. Helsingør Municipality had a population of 62,686 on 1 January 2018. Helsingør and Helsingborg in Sweden together form the northe ...
. However, the First War of Schleswig, known in Denmark as the Three Years' War (''Treårskrigen''), broke out and in the spring of 1848 he enlisted in the army like many other young artists.
He died eight days later on 26 April 1848 at the age of 29. There is some question as to whether he died from an accidental shot, or whether the chronically depressed artist took his own life.