Vilhelm Hammershoi: Interior with the Artist's Easel, 1910

courtesy of Statens Museum for Kunst/National Gallery of Denmark

Vilhelm Hammershøi (1864-1916) is certainly among the pre-eminent Danish artists from the late 19th and early 20th century, and his reputation has reached further beyond his native soil than that of any other Danish painter. He was born and lived in Copenhagen and is known for his many paintings of Copenhagen interiors and landscapes poised somewhere between the dreamlike and the realistic. But he also travelled frequently to many destinations within Europe.

Hammershøi is part of an international movement in which traditional subjects, such as interiors, are used to investigate the painterly space. The artists accentuate phenomena such as light, air, and water over narrative, and their attention is focused on how they apply paint to the canvas. Much of Hammershøi’s work shows interiors from his homes. Over the years he would use his changing homes as studio and subject matter. His homes were chosen because they provided a sensuous space for his paintings. The rooms constitute the main setting, and in this setting the figures interact with their surroundings as if taking part in an intimate chamber play. Hammershøi did not just paint interiors; he also ventured outdoors to depict a number of buildings and places in the city. These were always carefully selected, and frequently viewed through a characteristic misty haze.

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HC-655: card size 7" x 5" (178mm x 127mm)