Danish Artists and Interior Scenes

Today I went down a little rabbit hole and started to look at some paintings of interior scenes by a few turn-of-the-century Danish artists. Both Peter Vilhelm Ilsted and Carl Holsøe were especially influenced by the Dutch masters of the 17th century, such as Vermeer. I love Ilsted and Holsøe's use of light, though, and I love how their painterly quality adds a nice sense of warmth to their scenes.

Peter Vilhelm Ilsted, Mother and Child in an Interior, 1898

I especially love this painting, because the child is about the same age that LuLu is right now. That round body and those little legs resonate with me!

Peter Vilhelm Ilsted, A Woman Knitting by a Window, 1902

I think Edward Hopper would have liked this painting. Could he have been familiar with it?

Peter Vilhelm Ilsted, Girl by the Piano (also called Girl at the Piano), c. 1900

This painting is cool not only because of the composition (I love the girl is placed at the far left side of the canvas), but also because of the ghostly window and curtain have made an imprint on the wall with light.

Peter Vilhelm Ilsted, The Dining Room, 1887

Peter Vilhelm Ilsted, Woman Reading, 1907

Peter Vilhelm Ilsted, Two of the Artist's Daughters at Liselund, 1909

Carl Holsøe, Woman Reading in an Interior, n.d.

This is the best reproduction I can find online, although my calendar for this year has a reproduction with warmer, pinker tones in the walls (and also shows more of the red rug that is cropped off in the image above).

Wilhelm Bendz, Interior from Amaliegade with the Artist's Brothers, c. 1829

Vilhelm Hammershøi, Dust Motes Dancing in the Sunbeams, 1900

Hammershøi was Ilsted's brother-in-law. Together, Ilsted, Hammershøi and Holsøe were the leading Danish artists of the day and were members of a group called "The Free Exhibition." Later, this group of artists was known as "Copenhagen Interior School."