Fritz Syberg
Encyclopedia
Christian Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Syberg, generally known as Fritz Syberg, (28 July 1862, Fåborg – 20 December 1939, Kerteminde
) was a Danish
painter and illustrator, one of the reactionary Fynboerne or "Funen Painters" group living and working on the island of Funen
.
before attending the Copenhagen Technical School in 1882 where Holger Grønvold taught him drawing. After a short period at the Danish Academy (spring 1884), he attended the Kunstnernes Frie Studieskoler
(1885–1891) where he was the first of the Fynboerne to study under Kristian Zahrtmann
. His travels included Sweden (1899) where he visited Johannes Larsen
, Germany (1902), Italy (1905) together with Jens Birkholm, the Netherlands and Paris (1908) and Pisa
(1910–1913). Syberg married Syrak Hansen's daughter Anna
in 1894 and, after her death in 1914, he married her sister Marie in 1915. He was the father of artist Ernst Syberg and composer Franz Syberg
.
, Poul S. Christiansen and Peter Hansen
, Syberg was one of the first Funen artists to study under Zahrtmann who had broken away from the traditions of the Danish Academy to venture into Naturalism and Realism
. Initially he was influenced by Zahrtmann's colourist approach which can be seen in Dødsfald (1892) depicting his mother's death in Fåborg's poorhouse 14 years earlier. After marrying Hansen's sister, the painter Anna Syberg
, his works became brighter as evidenced by his landscapes and the 18 large drawings he completed in 1895 to 1898 to illustrate Hans Christian Andersen
's The Story of a Mother, now considered to be among Denmark's finest drawings. Thereafter, his oils include Dødens komme (1906) and Døden ved vuggen (1907) and landscapes depicting scenes from Funen, first around Dyreborg and Svanninge such as Forår (1893) and Aftenleg i Svanninge Bakker (1900) and later the area west of Kerteminde
where his garden and children were the main subjects. Quite early in his career, Syberg began to paint watercolours but it was during his three-year stay in Pisa with his family that he completed a whole series of watercolours adopting a style that was new to Danish art. But shortly after he resturned to Denmark, on the occasion of his daughter Besse's marriage to Harald Giersing
, Syberg came into contact with the younger generation of Danish artists, resulting in an increasingly Modernist
approach and a return to oils as in Overkærby Bakke. Vinter (1917).
Kerteminde
Kerteminde , is a town in central Denmark, located in Kerteminde Municipality on the island of Funen. The town has a population of 5,698 . It is a small harbor town surrounded by farms...
) was a Danish
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...
painter and illustrator, one of the reactionary Fynboerne or "Funen Painters" group living and working on the island 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...
.
Biography
Syberg, from a poor background in Fåborg, first served a house painter's apprenticeship under Syrak Hansen, the father of fellow artist Peter HansenPeter Hansen (painter)
Peter Marius Hansen was a Danish painter who became one of the Fynboerne or "Funen Painters" group living and working on the island of Funen.-Biography:...
before attending the Copenhagen Technical School in 1882 where Holger Grønvold taught him drawing. After a short period at the Danish Academy (spring 1884), he attended the Kunstnernes Frie Studieskoler
Kunstnernes Frie Studieskoler
Kunstnernes Frie Studieskoler was a Danish art school established in Copenhagen in 1882 as a protest against the policies of the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts and to provide an alternative to its educational program...
(1885–1891) where he was the first of the Fynboerne to study under Kristian Zahrtmann
Kristian Zahrtmann
Peder Henrik Kristian Zahrtmann, known as Kristian Zahrtmann, was a Danish painter. He was a part of the Danish artistic generation in the late 19th century, along with Peder Severin Krøyer and Theodor Esbern Philipsen, who broke away from both the strictures of traditional Academicism and the...
. His travels included Sweden (1899) where he visited Johannes Larsen
Johannes Larsen
Johannes Larsen was a Danish nature painter.-Biography:Born in Kerteminde on Funen, Larsen studied art at the Free School in Copenhagen under Kristian Zahrtmann in the 1880s. There he met other painters from Funen, notably Fritz Syberg and Peter Hansen, both from the southern port of Faaborg, and...
, Germany (1902), Italy (1905) together with Jens Birkholm, the Netherlands and Paris (1908) and Pisa
Pisa
Pisa is a city in Tuscany, Central Italy, on the right bank of the mouth of the River Arno on the Tyrrhenian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa...
(1910–1913). Syberg married Syrak Hansen's daughter Anna
Anna Syberg
Anna Louise Birgitte Syberg was a Danish painter who, together with her husband Fritz Syberg, was one of the Fynboerne or "Funen Artists" who lived and worked on the island of Funen...
in 1894 and, after her death in 1914, he married her sister Marie in 1915. He was the father of artist Ernst Syberg and composer Franz Syberg
Franz Syberg
-Biography:He was born in Kerteminde, Funen, to the painters Anna and Fritz Syberg. He moved to Leipzig in 1922 where he studied composition and music theory at the Leipzig Conservatory with Sigfrid Karg-Elert and Werner Hübschmann...
.
Artistic career
Together with Johannes LarsenJohannes Larsen
Johannes Larsen was a Danish nature painter.-Biography:Born in Kerteminde on Funen, Larsen studied art at the Free School in Copenhagen under Kristian Zahrtmann in the 1880s. There he met other painters from Funen, notably Fritz Syberg and Peter Hansen, both from the southern port of Faaborg, and...
, Poul S. Christiansen and Peter Hansen
Peter Hansen (painter)
Peter Marius Hansen was a Danish painter who became one of the Fynboerne or "Funen Painters" group living and working on the island of Funen.-Biography:...
, Syberg was one of the first Funen artists to study under Zahrtmann who had broken away from the traditions of the Danish Academy to venture into Naturalism and Realism
Realism (arts)
Realism in the visual arts and literature refers to the general attempt to depict subjects "in accordance with secular, empirical rules", as they are considered to exist in third person objective reality, without embellishment or interpretation...
. Initially he was influenced by Zahrtmann's colourist approach which can be seen in Dødsfald (1892) depicting his mother's death in Fåborg's poorhouse 14 years earlier. After marrying Hansen's sister, the painter Anna Syberg
Anna Syberg
Anna Louise Birgitte Syberg was a Danish painter who, together with her husband Fritz Syberg, was one of the Fynboerne or "Funen Artists" who lived and worked on the island of Funen...
, his works became brighter as evidenced by his landscapes and the 18 large drawings he completed in 1895 to 1898 to illustrate Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen was a Danish author, fairy tale writer, and poet noted for his children's stories. These include "The Steadfast Tin Soldier," "The Snow Queen," "The Little Mermaid," "Thumbelina," "The Little Match Girl," and "The Ugly Duckling."...
's The Story of a Mother, now considered to be among Denmark's finest drawings. Thereafter, his oils include Dødens komme (1906) and Døden ved vuggen (1907) and landscapes depicting scenes from Funen, first around Dyreborg and Svanninge such as Forår (1893) and Aftenleg i Svanninge Bakker (1900) and later the area west of Kerteminde
Kerteminde
Kerteminde , is a town in central Denmark, located in Kerteminde Municipality on the island of Funen. The town has a population of 5,698 . It is a small harbor town surrounded by farms...
where his garden and children were the main subjects. Quite early in his career, Syberg began to paint watercolours but it was during his three-year stay in Pisa with his family that he completed a whole series of watercolours adopting a style that was new to Danish art. But shortly after he resturned to Denmark, on the occasion of his daughter Besse's marriage to Harald Giersing
Harald Giersing
Harald Giersing , a Danish painter, was instrumental in developing the classic modernism movement in Denmark around 1910-1920...
, Syberg came into contact with the younger generation of Danish artists, resulting in an increasingly Modernist
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...
approach and a return to oils as in Overkærby Bakke. Vinter (1917).
Selected works
- Rugmark ved Svanninge (1887)
- Dødsfald (1892)
- Forår (1893)
- Historien om en moder (18 drawings, 1895–1898)
- Aftenlegg i Svanninge Bakker (1900)
- Børnene på Fyns Hoved (1905)
- Mor og datter ved Hverringe Strand (1906)
- Dødens komme (1906)
- Døden ved vuggen (1907)
- Sommerhytterne. Korshavn (1910)
- Efter badet, Italien (1911)
- Overkarby Bakke. Vinter (1917)
- Ved Morgenkaffen (1919)
- Komponisten (1936)