Harald Giersing
Encyclopedia
Harald Giersing a Danish painter, was instrumental in developing the classic modernism
movement in Denmark
around 1910-1920. He is remembered as one of Denmark's most important 20th century artists both for his portraits and landscapes.
can be detected, he differed from contemporaries such as Niels Larsen Stevns, Sigurd Swane
and Edvard Weie
in that he sought to represent images just as he had seen them, almost in the form of photographs.
When he arrived in Paris
in 1906, he was immediately taken by Gauguin but within a year it was Edouard Manet
who became his ideal, soon to be followed by Cézanne and also the neo-impressionist Paul Signac
. By 1907, he had begun to show interest in the Fauvists, including Derain, Othon Friesz
, Manguin
, Marquet
and Puy
and especially Braque. All this experience helped him to attain his own way of thinking, although he was ever wary of becoming "complete" as he believed it would inhibit his further development as an artist.
He soon adopted a heavy, rather rough style with rough colours, partly inspired by Ernst Ludvig Kirchner. His painting The Judgment of Paris (1909) presents three female figures with broad dark blue outlines and rather confusing proportions.
After a period during which he concentrated on portraits and on the female figure, from about 1912 he took a special interest in painting forests. He developed a wilder, more spontaneous style using a palette knife rather than brush strokes as can be seen in his Forest Path Sorø (1916), one of his many successful forest works. Open landscapes followed, especially the Furesø pictures from 1918 on.
, in which he took a leading role. This provided him with a basis for contributing to the early issues of a young artists' new periodical "Klingen". He was soon recognised as the authority answering those who refused to accept new ideas, encouraging his disciples to fight and endure.
interpretation as can be seen in Sofus Heading from 1917. The football paintings, like his ballet scenes, were based on photographs as starting points. In these vivid pictures, the dancers have no eyes or their faces are covered by masks.
gave her a small cottage at Svanninge in the south of Funen
where Giersing spend several summers painting some 40 pictures. Here the landscapes became constructed pictures where the countryside was expressed in a few lush green colours. Another favourite motif of the period was the churchyard near Svanninge church.
For Giersing, the 1920s did not bring the level of success he might have hoped for. After the war, Copenhagen lost many of its attractions for artists who moved to other parts of Europe. At the 1922 Grønningen exhibition in Copenhagen, Giersing exhibited almost exclusively black and grey pictures such as the Three Ladies in Black (1919), surprisingly attracting far more positive reviews. Finally, in his latter years he returned to more colourful still lifes. He died of pneumonia on 15 January 1927.
Modernism
Modernism, in its broadest definition, is modern thought, character, or practice. More specifically, the term describes the modernist movement, its set of cultural tendencies and array of associated cultural movements, originally arising from wide-scale and far-reaching changes to Western society...
movement in Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
around 1910-1920. He is remembered as one of Denmark's most important 20th century artists both for his portraits and landscapes.
Life and development
Giersing, who died at the early arge of 45, was driven by a desire to concentrate on change and beauty. Unable to find support in religion, he adopted modernism as an existential approach as to how art could fill the void for those without faith in God. While some synergies with the work of Vilhelm LundstrømVilhelm Lundstrøm
Vilhelm Lundstrøm was one of Denmark's most successful modernist painters. It was he who introduced French cubism to Denmark.He was educated at the Royal Danish Academy of Art where he studied under Rostrup Böyesen....
can be detected, he differed from contemporaries such as Niels Larsen Stevns, Sigurd Swane
Sigurd Swane
Sigurd Swane was a Danish painter and writer. He studied in Copenhagen at the Royal Danish Academy of Art....
and Edvard Weie
Edvard Weie
Viggo Thorvald Edvard Weie was a Danish painter. His style was influenced by journeys to Italy and Paris where he came into contact with French impressionists such as Cézanne....
in that he sought to represent images just as he had seen them, almost in the form of photographs.
When he arrived in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
in 1906, he was immediately taken by Gauguin but within a year it was Edouard Manet
Édouard Manet
Édouard Manet was a French painter. One of the first 19th-century artists to approach modern-life subjects, he was a pivotal figure in the transition from Realism to Impressionism....
who became his ideal, soon to be followed by Cézanne and also the neo-impressionist Paul Signac
Paul Signac
Paul Signac was a French neo-impressionist painter who, working with Georges Seurat, helped develop the pointillist style.-Biography:Paul Victor Jules Signac was born in Paris on 11 November 1863...
. By 1907, he had begun to show interest in the Fauvists, including Derain, Othon Friesz
Othon Friesz
Achille-Émile Othon Friesz who later called himself just Othon Friesz , a native of Le Havre, was a French artist of the Fauvist movement....
, Manguin
Henri Manguin
Henri Charles Manguin[p] was a French painter, associated with Les Fauves.Manguin entered the Ecole des Beaux-Arts to study under Gustave Moreau, as did Matisse and Charles Camoin with whom he became close friends...
, Marquet
Marquet
Marquet is a surname, and may refer to:* Albert Marquet , French painter* Josh Marquet , Australian cricket player* Luc Marquet , French volleyball player* Maurice Marquet , field hockey player from New Zealand...
and Puy
Jean Puy
Jean Puy was a French Fauvist artist. He studied architecture in Lyon and painting with Jean-Paul Laurens at l'Académie Julian between 1897 and 1898. He met Henri Matisse and other like-minded artists when he transferred to the l'Academie Carriere in 1899...
and especially Braque. All this experience helped him to attain his own way of thinking, although he was ever wary of becoming "complete" as he believed it would inhibit his further development as an artist.
He soon adopted a heavy, rather rough style with rough colours, partly inspired by Ernst Ludvig Kirchner. His painting The Judgment of Paris (1909) presents three female figures with broad dark blue outlines and rather confusing proportions.
After a period during which he concentrated on portraits and on the female figure, from about 1912 he took a special interest in painting forests. He developed a wilder, more spontaneous style using a palette knife rather than brush strokes as can be seen in his Forest Path Sorø (1916), one of his many successful forest works. Open landscapes followed, especially the Furesø pictures from 1918 on.
The Grønningen association
In 1914, unhappy with the lack of success of Ung Dansk Kunst (Young Danish Art), Giersing formed a new association called GrønningenGrønningen
Grønningen is a Danish artists cooperative whose members arrange exhibitions and similar events. Founded in 1915, it is one of the oldest and most important groupings of its kind and currently has 54 members...
, in which he took a leading role. This provided him with a basis for contributing to the early issues of a young artists' new periodical "Klingen". He was soon recognised as the authority answering those who refused to accept new ideas, encouraging his disciples to fight and endure.
Football and ballet
For many years, Giersing had taken a special interest in painting football scenes. However, it was not until 1917 that he adapted his approach to a rather aggressive and dynamic cubistCubism
Cubism was a 20th century avant-garde art movement, pioneered by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, that revolutionized European painting and sculpture, and inspired related movements in music, literature and architecture...
interpretation as can be seen in Sofus Heading from 1917. The football paintings, like his ballet scenes, were based on photographs as starting points. In these vivid pictures, the dancers have no eyes or their faces are covered by masks.
The final years
In 1917, as he was becoming increasingly successful and more widely recognised as the leader of Denmark's younger painters, he married Besse Syberg, one of his students, who also became his favourite model. Soon afterwards, Besse's father Fritz SybergFritz Syberg
Christian Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Syberg, generally known as Fritz Syberg, was a Danish painter and illustrator, one of the reactionary Fynboerne or "Funen Painters" group living and working on the island of Funen.-Biography:Syberg, from a poor background in Fåborg, first served a house...
gave her a small cottage at Svanninge in the south of Funen
Funen
Funen , with a size of 2,984 km² , is the third-largest island of Denmark following Zealand and Vendsyssel-Thy, and the 163rd largest island of the world. Funen is located in the central part of the country and has a population of 454,358 inhabitants . The main city is Odense, connected to the...
where Giersing spend several summers painting some 40 pictures. Here the landscapes became constructed pictures where the countryside was expressed in a few lush green colours. Another favourite motif of the period was the churchyard near Svanninge church.
For Giersing, the 1920s did not bring the level of success he might have hoped for. After the war, Copenhagen lost many of its attractions for artists who moved to other parts of Europe. At the 1922 Grønningen exhibition in Copenhagen, Giersing exhibited almost exclusively black and grey pictures such as the Three Ladies in Black (1919), surprisingly attracting far more positive reviews. Finally, in his latter years he returned to more colourful still lifes. He died of pneumonia on 15 January 1927.