Vilhelm Hammershøi Exhibit in London
The Poetry of Silence - Danish Art at Royal Academy of Arts
Jun 26, 2008
London's Royal Academy of Arts is hosting the first major exhibition of Hammershøi's work in the United Kingdom. The show has been jointly organized by the RAA, the Museum of Western Art and NIKKEI, Tokyo.
About the Artist
The son of a wholesale merchant, Vilhelm Hammershøi was born in Copenhagen in1864. His mother recognised his artistic potential and constantly strove to promote his career. His artistic training began at the age of eight when he received private lessons in drawing. At fifteen he attended the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts. Most of Hammershøi's training was rooted in the traditions of the "Golden Age" of Danish painting during the first half of the nineteenth century. Hammershøi, along with many of his contemporaries also attended De frie Studieskoler (Independent Study Schools). The Studieskoler had been set up by students unhappy with the traditional training they received at the Academy.
Early Paintings
During his time at the Studieskoler Hammershøi painted his first pictures. These portraits and landscapes already displayed many of the traits that would become his trademarks: the subdued palette of blues and greys, the sparsely furnished rooms and the solitary figures, most of whom face away from the viewer.
Landscapes and Portraits
In 1885, in his first large-scale painting, he depicted his sister, Anna, sombrely clad, sitting in an empty room. Portrait of a Young Woman was Hammershøi's entry into the Academy's annual spring competition for "A female portrait, three-quarter view, life-size". The painting catapulted Hammershøi into the limelight! Although the three-quarter life-size portrait was a favourite subject for the artists of the Danish Golden Age, Hammershøi's sombre palette contrasted sharply with the vibrant colours of Golden Age portraits. The painting provoked lively debate between the De frie Studieskoler and the Academy and Hammershøi did not win the prize. Many of his friends signed an open letter to the Academy protesting against the Academy's decision not to award the prize to Hammershøi.
In 1891 the artist married Ida Ilsted. Throughout their married life Ida provided the inspiration for much of Hammershøi's work. They had no children and travelled throughout Europe visiting Paris, Berlin and London. It was during one of these visits to London that he painted From the British Museum in 1906. He portrays the museum as dark, foreboding and colourless, totally devoid of people, and almost hidden in London's fog.
However, not all of his paintings were so melancholy. In later life he painted more than 60 interior scenes of his home in Copenhagen. Some of his room interiors, although portrayed as being minimally furnished, were brilliantly backlit by shafts of intense sunlight streaming in through carefully drawn windows. Dust Motes Dancing in the Sunbeams (1900) almost invites the viewer to enjoy the sun's warmth.
A Rare Double Portrait
Whilst the subjects in most of his portraits faced away from the viewer he did occasionally portray his subjects facing front. In Two Figures, (1898) also known as Double Portrait (1898), a rare double portrait, Hammershøi shows his wife, Ida, facing front and seated at a table. He shows himself sitting sideways. There is a distinct lack of clutter and the celestial atmosphere is heightened by the sunlight illuminating Ida's forehead like a halo. She is looking down at an intensely white tablecloth, perhaps a symbol of purity, and the slight smile and calm demeanour add to the calm, spiritual atmosphere.
Programme of Events
There will be a full programme of events including gallery talks, lectures and workshops exploring Hammershøi's life and work.
Catalogue
To accompany the exhibition a fully illustrated catalogue entitled Hammershøi has been published by the Royal Academy of Arts. The publication includes essays by Felix Kramer, Naoki Sato and Anne-Birgitte Fonsmark who explore Hammershøi's ideas and his links with the Dutch masters of the seventeenth century.
The exhibition will run until the 7th September 2008 after which it will move to the National Museum of Western Art in Tokyo where it will be open from 30th September to 7 December 2008.
 |
 |
 |
 |
