Theodor Esbern Philipsen (10 June 18403 March 1920) was a Danish painter of Jewish ancestry; known for landscapes and animal portraits. He also did small figures in wax and clay.

Biography

Theodor Philipsen was born at

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

to a cultured merchant family and learned to draw at an early age.Theodor Philipsen
''Kunstindeks Danmark'' At first, however, he was primarily interested in animals, so he went to study agriculture at his uncle's estate near

Slangerup Slangerup is a town in Frederikssund Municipality, about 30 km north-west of central Copenhagen, in the Capital Region of Denmark. The town of Slangerup The town was established by the Viking Slangir at the time of Harald Bluetooth. King Er ...

. In the 1860s, one of his brothers introduced him to the painter, Hans Smidth, which made him decide to become an artist. He began his studies 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 ...

with Carl Bøgh and later came under the influence of Frederik Vermehren. He was also familiar with the animal portraits of Johan Thomas Lundbye and the 17th-century painter

Paulus Potter Paulus Potter (; 20 November 1625 (baptised) – 17 January 1654 (buried)) was a Dutch painter Painting is a Visual arts, visual art, which is characterized by the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid sur ...

.Theodor Esbern Philipsen
''Den Store Danske'' In 1873, he was awarded the for his painting of horses swimming. In the 1880s, he began painting en

plein air ''En plein air'' (; French for 'outdoors'), or plein-air painting, is the act of painting outdoors. This method contrasts with studio painting or academic rules that might create a predetermined look. The theory of 'En plein air' painting is c ...

and began to show some elements of

Impressionism Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by visible brush strokes, open Composition (visual arts), composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passage ...

. At the age of thirty-five, concerned that his images were not realistic enough, he went to Paris to study with

Léon Bonnat Léon Joseph Florentin Bonnat (; 20 June 1833 – 8 September 1922) was a French painter, Grand Officer of the Légion d'honneur, art collector and professor at the Ecole des Beaux Arts. Early life Bonnat was born in Bayonne, but from 1846 to 1853 ...

. There, he practiced intensive croquis drawing; to capture the basics of position and movement. He also obtained knowledge of the radical trends in French art through his friend, Rémy Cogghe, with whom he spent some time in Spain and Italy. This all came together in a distinctive style. His favorite places for painting were Saltholm and

Amager Amager ( ), located in the Øresund, is Denmark's most densely populated island, with more than 216,000 inhabitants (January 2022). The protected natural area of ''Naturpark Amager'' (including Kalvebod Fælled) makes up more than one-third of the ...

. In the winter of 1884–1885,

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 ...

made a visit to Copenhagen. Philipsen approached him for some advice and was shown how to use small brushes with quick, firm strokes. They remained friends for life. In 1890, he received 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 ...

. Around 1905, he began to suffer from an eye disease that interfered with his ability to paint. In 1915, he was awarded the Thorvaldsen Medal. He is generally credited with establishing Impressionism as an important aspect of Danish painting. He died in Copenhagen and was buried at Holmen Cemetery.

Selected paintings

File:Theodor Philipsen - Long Shadows. Cattle on the Island of Saltholm - Google Art Project.jpg, ''Long Shadows
Cattle on the Island of Saltholm'' File:Theodor Philipsen Landevej ved Faarevejle 1900. Odsherreds Kunstmuseum.jpg, ''Road at Fårevejle '' File:Malkeplads ved Dyrehavegård.jpg, ''Milking at Dyrehavegård,
near

Kolding Kolding () is a Denmark, Danish seaport city located at the head of Kolding Fjord in the Region of Southern Denmark. It is the seat of Kolding Municipality. It is a transportation, commercial, and manufacturing centre and has numerous industria ...

References

External links

Theodor Philipsen
@ "A Mirror of Nature", travelling exhibition (2006-2008)
"Theodor Philipsen og Kastrup"
@

Kastrupgård Kastrupgård is a former manor house in Kastrup, a suburb of Copenhagen, Denmark. Dating from the mid 18th century, it is now a museum housing the Kastrupgård Collection (''Kastrupgårdsamlingen'') of modern art, which is owned and operated by T ...

samlingen {{DEFAULTSORT:Philipsen, Theodor 1840 births 1920 deaths 20th-century Danish people Danish painters of animals Danish Impressionist painters Danish Jews Jewish painters Artists from Copenhagen Danish landscape painters Recipients of the Eckersberg Medal Recipients of the Thorvaldsen Medal 19th-century Danish painters Danish male painters 20th-century Danish painters Burials at Holmen Cemetery 19th-century Danish male artists 20th-century Danish male artists

Biography

Selected paintings

References

Further reading

External links