Peder Mørk Mønsted (1859-1941)

Danish painter Peder Mørk Mønsted was born in Balle Mölle, near Grenna in eastern Denmark on 10th December 1859.

He studied at the Prince Ferdinand’s Drawing School, Aarhus where he studied under Andries Fritz (1828-1906), a landscape and portrait painter, before moving to Copenhagen.

Here he studied at the Royal Academy of Art between 1875-1878, and was taught figure painting by Julius Exner (1825-1910).

Here too he would have come across the work of artists such as Christen Kobke (1810-1848), an outstanding colourist and Peter Christian Skovgaard (1817-1875), a romantic nationalist painter, a knowledge of whose work is seen in the Danish landscapes and beech forests of Mønsted’s.

As early as 1874, at the age of 15, he took part in the December Exhibition in Copenhagen.

In 1878 Mønsted left the Academy to study under the artist Peder Severin Krøyer (1851-1909).

Mønsted travelled extensively throughout his long career, being a frequent visitor to Switzerland, Italy and North Africa.

In 1883 Mønsted travelled to Paris where he worked with William-Adolphe Bouguereau (1825-1905) for four months. As early as 1884, he visited North Africa returning later in the decade.

The early years of the 20th century saw Mønsted returning to Switzerland, the south of France and Italy, the latter being the source of inspiration for many Scandinavian artists of the 19th century.

The war years curtailed Mønsted’s travel to Norway and Sweden, however the 1920’s and 1930’s saw him return to the Mediterranean.

From 1879-1941 he exhibited regularly at the annual Charlottenborg Exhibition.

Throughout his long career, Mønsted continued to paint the Danish landscape and coastline.

His is a romantic, poetic view of nature; he was an artist who depicted the grandeur and monumental aspect of the landscape, with a remarkable eye for detail and colour.

He was also known for a number of portraits, including that of King George I of Greece. | © MacConnal-Mason Gallery

Peder Mørk Mønsted (Balle Mølle, 10 dicembre 1859 - Fredensborg, 20 giugno 1941) è stato uno tra i rappresentanti del periodo d'oro della pittura Danese e fu noto come paesaggista.

Mønsted difficilmente può essere collegato alla pittura di paesaggio accademica perché venne molto influenzato dall'Impressionismo francese.

L'artista dipingeva ciò che vede, spesso i campi, boschi, case rurali e cortili.

I suoi paesaggi sono il frutto di una lunga contemplazione.

Nonostante i numerosi viaggi in tutto il mondo, Mønsted ha per lo più raffigurato paesaggi incontaminati del nord Europa con piccole figure umane.

Molto spesso nei paesaggi sono raffigurati: laghi e corsi d'acqua, donando un senso ancora maggiore al paesaggio e alla sua atmosfera.

Le opere dell'artista sono esposte nelle collezioni dei musei di Aalborg, Bouts, Randers, e numerose collezioni private. | © Wikipedia