For the first time in almost 35 years, works from the golden age of Danish painting return to France at the Petit Palais in Paris.
Inspired by new forms of architecture that emerged after the Copenhagen fire of 1795, between 1800-1864, Danish painting entered its golden age as artists started painting scenes from everyday life in greater detail than ever before.
One of the standout features of Danish painting from this era is the strong contrast of colour. In Martinus Rørbye’s ‘View from the Painter’s Window’, for example, you’ll notice the difference between the light pink flowers on the window shelf and grey dockyard in the background. Sometimes artists tried to present a more idealised version of reality- something you’ll see in the white cliffs and still blue sea of Louis Gurlitt’s ‘Mons Klint’. The Danish Golden Age focused just as much on urban life as the countryside, and many of Constantin Hansen’s works such as his ‘Danish Constituent Assembly’ show you what life was like for the aristocracy in Denmark during this era.
Featuring over 200 works from artists including Christoffer Eckersberg, Christen Købke, Martinus Rørbye and Constantin Hansen, this exhibition offers you the chance to dive into 19th-century Denmark.