Danish Golden Age

Describe the Danish Golden Age of painting and explain how the artists and their work helped shape the perception of the Danish landscape.

In the early 19^th century, Denmark began a period known as the Danish Golden Age of painting. During this time, art became the symbol for the movement that it inspired. In the years prior to and even a few years during, Denmark was facing some very hard struggles. The economy had turned bad, they suffered fires, and war. The Danish Golden Age of painting provided a distraction or a safe haven from the hardships Denmark was facing. One of the main types of paintings done in this period were landscapes. Landscape paintings often depicted nature in a positive way, showing all that nature had to offer. In Denmark, during this time, many of the artists used this style in painting their landscapes.

A group of paintings at Hirschsprung Museum.

 In many of the paintings of this period, artists used an idealistic style of painting, and showed nature as something beautiful, powerful and many times, as a safe place. Although the artwork did use an element of realism in its style, the realism was exaggerated and idealized to show the beauty of Denmark’s landscapes. Many argue that the founding father of this period and this style was Christoffer Wilhelm Eckerberg. Eckerberg painted “View north of Kronborg Castle” in the beginning of the movement and from there he continued to paint in the landscape, realistic and idealistic style. His painting evoke a feeling of power within the Danish Greenspace, yet at the same time it shows its viewers that greenspace is something that should be appreciated for all that it is worth. 

"View of north of Kronberg Castle"

In Johan Thomas Lundbye’s “A Danish Coast,” Lundbye depicts the coast near the Roskilde Fjord. In the painting, there is a very large cliff with a steep slope and at the bottom lies a group of people. The group of people looks minuscule compared to the large cliff. The painting was based off of an actual view Lundbye experienced, however, the cliff was not as large as he painted it to be. He enlarged the cliff to empower Denmark in their times of hardship and struggle, as well as to show how powerful nature can be. While the cliff’s shear size is empowering, the painting also gives off a feeling of safety and security, showing the gentle side of Danish Greenspace.

"A Danish Coast"

 http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ed/Johan_Thomas_Lundbye_-_A_Danish_Coast._View_from_Kitnæs_on_Roskilde_Fjord._Zealand_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg

Another painter from this time, Eilif Petersen, painted a piece of art entitled, “Summer Night.” This landscape showed a lake with lots of greenery surrounding it. Unlike most of the landscapes of this time, this image did not show the sky, it did however show the reflection of the sky on he lake. This painting gave off a sense of peacefulness in Danish Greenspace, while also using light contrast to show the finer details of the painting. So this painting also uses both realism and idealism within the work.

"Summer Night"

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c2/Eilif_Peterssen_-_Summer_Night_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg

So, the use of landscape painting during the Danish Golden Age impacted the overall perception of Danish greenspace in a positive way that not only empowers Denmark, but also empowers the land of Denmark as well. The positive light that is shed on the Danish greenspace, the power it holds, and the respect it deserves can all be seen in these types of paintings, and through these paintings, the culture and identity of Danish greenspace can be appreciated and valued for the beauty it holds.