The Golden Age of Danish Painting (1801-1864) Exhibition – Part I

 This exhibition features more than 200 works by the leading Danish artists of the period covered 1801-1864: Christoffer Eckersberg, Christen Købke, Martinus Rørbye and Constantin Hansen…

 

The exhibition is well put together and general notices on the different themes covered (the Art studio, landscape open-air painting, travel paintings, interiors, etc.) as well as for individual paintings are very detailed and interesting. The quality of the paintings is high.

Unfortunately, with the Covid 19 Lockdown, the museum is closed for the time being. Let’s hope that the exhibition will re-open before it ends.

 

Prometheus Molding Man from Clay – Oil on paper mounted on canvas by Constantin Hansen

 

The Life Class At the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhaguen – Oil on canvas (57,7x82,5 cm ) by Wilhelm Bendz Copenhague, Statens Museum for Kunst

A Little Girl, Elise Købke, with a Cup (1850). Oil on canvas (39 cm x35,5 cm) by Constantin Hansen Copenhagune, Statens Museum for Kunst

 

A View Through Three Arches on the Third Storey of the Colosseum (1815). Oil on canvas (32 cm x 49,5 cm) by Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg - Copenhaguen, Statens Museum for Kunst

 

Loggia, Procida (1835) - Oil on paper mounted on canvas (32 cm x 47,5 cm) by Martinus Rørbye, - Stockholm, Nationalmuseum

 

Fields of Oats Near Vejby (1843) – Oil painting (25,5 x 28,5 cm) by Peter Christian Skovgaard - Copenhaguen, Statens Museum for Kunst

 Fields of Oats Near Vejby is one of favourite paintings in the exhibition (Click on the photo to see a larger version). The notice for this painting explained that the Danish artists were interested in botanic and followed lectures by the director of the botanical garden. And this painting shows a precise observation of the different plants in this field.

Frederiksborg’s Castle Viewed from Jaegerbakken. Evening (1835) Oil painting on canvas (71,8 cm x 103,4 cm) by Christen Købke - Copenhaguen, Hirschsprung Museum

 

One of the Small Towers of  Frederiksborg’s Castle (around 1834-1835) -  Oil painting on canvas (177 cm x 162 cm) by Christen Købke - Copenhaguen, Designmuseum Danmark

One of the Small Towers of  Frederiksborg’s Castle (Detail)

 

Outside the North Gate of the Citadel (1834) - Oil painting on canvas (79 x 93 cm) by Christen Købke - Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek

Outside the North Gate of the Citadel (Detail)

 

The Exhibition

The Golden Age of Danish Painting (1801-1864)

Temporary Exhibition
22 September 2020 to 03 January 2021

Petit Palais
Avenue Winston Churchill 75008 Paris – France

Fontaine de l’Observatoire or Fontaine Carpeaux in Paris - France

 The Fontaine de l'Observatoire (also known as the Fontaine des Quatre-Parties-du-Monde, or simply the), is in the Jardin Marco Polo, in the 6th arrondissement of Paris, France. It was commissioned in 1867 and dedicated in 1874.

It is adorned with sculptures of female figures by Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux representing the four parts of the world.

Some of the heads made in preparation for this project can be seen in Paris in the permanent collection of the Petit Palais museum.

 

The Chinese (1872) – Plaster patinated by Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux

This is a male head that was made by Carpeaux and will be used as reference for the feminine figure representing Asia. Carpeaux used, as model, Chinese people who were travelling to Paris.

Pourquoi Naitre Esclave ? Why Born a Slave? – Plaster patinated by Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux

Other statues also at the Petit Palais museum:

 

Ugolin et ses enfants / Ugolino – Plaster patinated by Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux

The three graces – Patinated terracotta by Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux

Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux was from the city of Valenciennes in the North of France and the Fine Art Museum there holds a large collection of Carpeaux’s works.

 

Related resources

Paris Fine Art Museum -Petit Palais 

Valenciennes Fine ArtMuseum

Antoine Watteau monument by Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux in Valencienne

Green Tomatoes

Green tomatoes - Oil on canvas panel (6" x 8") by Benoit Philippe

This a a plate of tomatoes picked in our garden. It was nice setting my pochade box on the garden table outside and painting them.

 

Red Geranium

Red Geranium - Oil on canvas panel (6" x 8") by Benoit Philippe

 

My Coffee Mug

 

My Coffee Mug - Oil on canvas board (8" x 6") by Benoit Philippe 

Marco Del Re at the Matisse Museum in Le Cateau-Cambrésis (France)

 For the temporary exhibition “Tout va bien monsieur Matisse” (Everything is well Mr. Matisse) 8 contemporary artists have produce works inspired by Matisse’s works. One of them is the Italian artist Marco Del Re.

 

Le Jardin d’Eden I – Monotype on Nepal paper by Marco Del Re

La chambre rouge I – Monotype on Nepal paper by Marco Del Re

Nature morte et artichauts – Oil on canvas (2010) by Marco Del Re

Elégie romaine – Oil on canvas (2012) by Marco Del Re

Le Jardin de Saint Paul – Oil on canvas (2012) by Marco Del Re

Chevelure II – Engraved plaster (2006) by Marco Del Re

Chevelure II (detail)

Allegorie de la peinture II - Oil on canvas (2013) by Marco Del Re

 

The Exhibition

Tout va bien monsieur Matisse (Everything is well Mr. Matisse)
11 juillet 2020 - 17 janvier 2021

Musée départemental Matisse
Palais Fénelon
Place du Commandant Richez
59360 Le Cateau-Cambrésis
France

Official site of theMatisse Museum 

103 Hokusai drawings acquired by the British Museum

The British Museum recently acquired a Series of 103 Preparatory drawings by Hokusai for an illustrated book titled: Banbutsu ehon taizen zu 万物絵本大全図 (Great Picture Book of Everything).

These drawings were produced in 1829. This was a difficult time for Hokusai. As indicated in the Curator's comments, Hokusai suffered a stroke in 1827 or 1828, and his second wife died in 1828;

The Picture Book of Everything was never published and this is why we still have these drawings today. The process of engraving Ukiyo-e (Woodblock print) involves sticking the block-ready drawings onto the cherry-wood printing blocks before cutting it. The drawing is destroyed in the process.

Great Picture Book of Everything, were owned Henri by Vever (a French Art Nouveau jeweller). The works were then sold at auction in Paris in 1948 and had been in private collection ever since. They were auctioned again in June 2019 and the British Museum acquired them.

 

Preparatory drawing (hanshita-e) for an illustrated book, mounted on card. Two cranes and two turtles climbing on lotus leaves. Ink on paper by Katsushika Hokusai (1829).© The Trustees of the British Museum – Used under (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) license

 

Preparatory drawing (hanshita-e) for an illustrated book, mounted on card. Wu Zixu holding up a bronze vessel weighing 1,000 catties. Ink on paper by Katsushika Hokusai (1829).- © The Trustees of the British Museum – Used under (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) license

Preparatory drawing (hanshita-e) for an illustrated book, mounted on card. Ke Dao, Cai Lun, Li Chao and his son Ting Zhi engaged in tasks associated with publishing (carving woodblocks, making paper). Ink on paper by Katsushika Hokusai (1829).© The Trustees of the British Museum – Used under (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) license

You can see these works on site of the online collection of the British Museum 

Make sure you read the Curator's comments which are well written. For each entry, you can also read a translation of the text on the drawing.

Another remarkable feature is that you can zoom in and see the fine details of each drawing.

Cygnets - Watercolour

Cygnets - Watercolour (18 cm x 24 cm) by Benoit Philippe

I painted this watercolour from a photograph I took with my phone on a recent run in a local park.

The paper is Watercolour Studio by Fabiano (Cold pressed - 140lb). Paints are Sennelier and Windsor & Newton watercolour.

Raffaello Sanzio paintings at the Galleria Degli Uffizi in Florence

Portrait of Elisabetta Gonzaga, Duchess of Urbino - Oil on panel (52.9 x 37.4 cm) by Raffaello Sanzio 

Mary, Christ and the young John the Baptist, known as the “Madonna of the Goldfinch” - Oil on wood (107 x 77.2 cm) by Raffaello Sanzio 

Portraits of Agnolo Doni - Oil on basswood panel (63.5 x 45 cm) by Raffaello Sanzio 

Portraits of Maddalena Doni - Oil on basswood panel (63.5 x 45 cm) by Raffaello Sanzio 

The museum

Galleria Degli Uffizi
Piazzale degli Uffizi, 6
50122 Florence, Italy

Veronese paintings at the Galleria Degli Uffizi

The Annunciation - Oil on canvas (143 cm x291 cm) by Paolo Veronese 

Veronese birth name was Paolo Caliari (or Cagliari). He chose his artist name of Veronese because he was born in Verona. He was a famous painter of the Renaissance.

The Choice of Hercules or The Choice Between Virtue and Vice - Oil on wood, (19 cm x 17 cm) by Paolo Veronese 

Saint Agatha Crowned by Angels - Oil on canvas (219.1 cm × 169.5 cm) by Paolo Veronese 

The museum

Galleria Degli Uffizi
Piazzale degli Uffizi, 6
50122 Florence, Italy

The Battle of San Romano by Uccello the Galleria Degli Uffizi

Battle of San Romano - Tempera on wood (182 x 323 cm) by Paolo Uccello 

The Florentine forces lead by Niccolò da Tolentino were victorious over the Sienese troops and the alliance lead by the Duke of Milan.

This was one of three paintings to celebrate this victory. One of the other panels is now at the National Gallery in London (England), and the third panel is now at the Louvre Museum in Paris (France). 

Battle of San Romano (detail) 

Battle of San Romano (detail)

 Battle of San Romano (detail) 

The museum

Galleria Degli Uffizi
Piazzale degli Uffizi, 6
50122 Florence, Italy

Leonardo da Vinci paintings in the Galleria Degli Uffizi

Annunciation - Oil on wood (90 x 222 cm) by Leonardo da Vinci 

An interesting point made in the commentary to this painting: “Some anomalies can be found in the figure of the Virgin, whose right arm appears too long – perhaps a reflection of Leonardo’s early research into optics, which would have taken into account a lateral viewpoint (from the right) – and lowered, due to the original location of the painting, over a side altar in a church.” (Source: Uffizi site)

Adoration of the Magi San Donato in Scopeto - Drawing in charcoal, watercolour ink and oil on wood (244 x 240 cm) by Leonardo da Vinci 

This painting was a commission from the Augustinian monks. The panel was for the high altar in the church of San Donato in Scopeto, (just outside Florence’s city walls). Leonardo never finished the work. It is interesting to see the different stages and have a glimpse into Leonardo’s process. The sky consists of a white lead base coat and lapis lazuli (which was an expensive precious stone and was therefore used in thin transparent layers over the white background).

The Baptism of Christ - Tempera and oil on panel (177 x 151 cm) by Andrea del Verrocchio and Leonardo da Vinci 

Leonardo was a pupil of Verrocchio. According to Giorgio Vasari (a mid-16th century historian best known for his Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects), Leonardo painted the figure of the angel on the left with such skill that he upset the older Verrocchio.

Current studies consider that Leonardo’s work on the painting was more extensive and included the landscape, golden light and the figure of Christ.

The museum

Galleria Degli Uffizi
Piazzale degli Uffizi, 6
50122 Florence, Italy

Related posts

Milan Castle Da Vinci - Sotto l'ombra del Moro. La Sala delle Asse
Leonardo’s aerial perspective device
Leonardo da Vinci advice on judging your work
Leonardo da Vinci on judging your own work