Svend Johansen (10 September 1890 – 6 October 1970) was a Danish painter, scenographer and illustrator.

Biography

Born in

Gentofte Gentofte () is a district of Gentofte Municipality in the northern suburbs of Copenhagen, Denmark. Major landmarks include Gentofte Town Hall, Gentofte Hospital and Gentofte Church. Gentofte Lake with surrounding parkland and nature reserves form ...

, Johansen attended the Copehangen Technical School where he met

Poul Henningsen Poul Henningsen (9 September 1894 – 31 January 1967) was a Danish author, critic, architect, and designer. In Denmark, where he often is referred to simply as PH, he was one of the leading figures of the cultural life of Denmark between the Wor ...

who became a friend and associate for the rest of his life. He 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 ...

from 1912 to 1916 under P. Rostrup Bøyesen. In 1919, he began an extended stay in France where he met Vilhelm Lundstrøm in Paris in 1922. Together with Karl Larsen and Axel Salto, Johansen and Lundstrøm settled in Bormes near Cannes, establishing the artistic group ''De Fire''. They exhibited together until 1930. Johansen became a member of the Grønningen artists association in 1933, exhibiting there for many years. His stay in Bormes had brightened up his paintings, possibly under the influence of

Henri Matisse Henri Émile Benoît Matisse (; 31 December 1869 – 3 November 1954) was a French visual arts, visual artist, known for both his use of colour and his fluid and original draughtsmanship. He was a drawing, draughtsman, printmaking, printmaker, ...

and

Auguste Renoir Pierre-Auguste Renoir (; ; 25 February 1841 – 3 December 1919) was a French people, French artist who was a leading painter in the development of the Impressionism, Impressionist style. As a celebrator of beauty and especially femininity, fe ...

, depicting nude women and landscapes of the south of France. In addition to richly coloured prints, he also produced posters for Grønningen, Tuborg and for the theatre. He contributed sketches to ''Politikens Magasin'' and illustrated books by

Pierre Louÿs Pierre-Félix Louÿs (; 10 December 1870 – 4 June 1925) was a Belgian poet and writer, most renowned for lesbian and classical themes in some of his writings. He is known as a writer who sought to "express pagan sensuality with stylistic perf ...

François Rabelais François Rabelais ( , ; ; born between 1483 and 1494; died 1553) was a French writer who has been called the first great French prose author. A Renaissance humanism, humanist of the French Renaissance and Greek scholars in the Renaissance, Gr ...

and Johan Herman Wessel. Johansen was perhaps most effective in contributing to

scenic design Scenic design, also known as stage design or set design, is the creation of scenery for theatrical productions including Play (theatre), plays and Musical theatre, musicals. The term can also be applied to film and television productions, wher ...

in the theatre. From 1924, he brought new life into stage decoration in Tivoli's Sommerteater, including cubic curtain patterns. For productions of '' Maskarade'', ''Bortførelsen fra Seraillet'' and ''Slaraffenland'', he not only designed striking stage sets but also provided the costumes. He also collaborated with Poul Henningsen in producing ''På ho'det'' (1929), a revue in Nørrebros Theater.

Awards

In 1948, he 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 ...

and, in 1966, the Thorvaldsen Medal.

References

Literature

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External links

Illustrated list of works by Svend Johansen in Danish museums from Kunstineks Danmark
{{DEFAULTSORT:Johansen, Svend 1890 births 1970 deaths 20th-century Danish painters Danish scenic designers People from Gentofte Municipality Recipients of the Thorvaldsen Medal Recipients of the Eckersberg Medal Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts alumni