Kristian Zahrtmann

Exhibited by Van der Meij Fine Arts

Material Oil on board

Dimensions 40 x 48 cm

Place of Creation Copenhagen

Price Price available upon inquiry

Status Vetted

About the Work

The Danish painter Kristian Zahrtmann (1843-1917) played a signifiant role in 19th Century Scandinavian art. He studied at the Royal Academy in Copenhagen between 1864-68 and started participating in the renowned Charlottenborg annual exhibitions in 1869. From 1885 onwards he became a teacher at the "Free School", which championed an alternative teaching programme to that offered by the Academy.

Zahrtmann was fascinated by the way in which often lurid colours can sustain an unusual composition, and in this he was to be of influence on the subsequent generation of Danish expressionists.

Our painting is a good example of this: the four tulips are arranged inside a slender vase, which appears set against an indistinct background. The flames of the petals provide fiery colours that contrast well with the stark backdrop.

By the time Kristian Zahrtmann died in Frederiksberg in 1917, he had acquired a reputation as one of his country's most significant modernisers.

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Provenance

Collection E. Th. Jensen, Denmark, by 1942;
Private collection, Copenhagen

Literature

S Danneskjold-Samsoe: Kristian Zahrtmann, Copenhagen 1942, p. 572, no. 1069 (as "Fire tulipaner i glas").

H.Chr. Christensen, Kr. Zahrtmann 31 Marts 1843 - 22 juni 1917. Fortegnelse over hans Malerier, Copenhagen 1917, no. 676