Johan Laurentz Jensen
Encyclopedia
Johan Laurentz Jensen, often referred to as J. L. Jensen (8 March 1800, Gentofte
- 26 March 1856, Copenhagen) was a Danish
artist who specialized in flower painting.
and also of Cladius Detlev Fritzsch
. Specializing in flower painting, Jensen continued his education in Paris under the Flemish flower painting brothers, Gérard
and Cornelis van Spaendonck
, and at the porcelain factory in Sèvres
where he learnt the art of miniature flower painting. Taking 17th-century Dutch flower painting as a starting point, he revived the art in Denmark. His floral arrangements often had both a decorative and symbolic value. Danish plants were often accompanied by exotic flowers and fruits, sometimes even birds. He also became head artist at the Danish Procelain Factory
. Jensen had an extensive circle of customers and many students, especially women, including Louise of Hesse-Kassel
who later married King Christian IX
. Since the 1980s, his works have gained wide international recognition. Many are exhibited in Statens Museum for Kunst
and in Thorvaldsens Museum
.
, he was happiest when he was painting out in the country at Gentofte, sometimes painting wild flowers or strawberries. Some of his works from the 1840s contain exotic fruits or even birds.
:
Gentofte
Gentofte Kommune is a municipality in the Capital Region of Denmark on the east coast of the island of Zealand in eastern Denmark. The municipality covers an area of , and has a total population of 68,913...
- 26 March 1856, Copenhagen) 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...
artist who specialized in flower painting.
Biography
In parallel with his studies at the Danish Academy, he became a pupil of Christoffer Wilhelm EckersbergChristoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg
Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg was a Danish painter. He was born in Blåkrog in the Duchy of Schleswig , to Henrik Vilhelm Eckersberg, painter and carpenter, and Ingeborg Nielsdatter...
and also of Cladius Detlev Fritzsch
Cladius Detlev Fritzsch
Cladius Detlev Fritzsch , noramlly referred to as C. D. Fritzsch, was a Danish flower painter.-Biography:...
. Specializing in flower painting, Jensen continued his education in Paris under the Flemish flower painting brothers, Gérard
Gerard van Spaendonck
Gerard van Spaendonck was a Dutch painter.Gerard was born in Tilburg, an older brother of Cornelis van Spaendonck , who was also a renowned artist. In the 1760s he studied with decorative painter Willem Jacob Herreyns in Antwerp...
and Cornelis van Spaendonck
Cornelis van Spaendonck
Cornelis van Spaendonck was a Dutch painter who was a native of Tilburg. Spaendonck initially worked under artist Guillaume-Jacques Herreyns in Antwerp, and in 1773 moved to Paris to study and work with his brother, floral painter Gérard van Spaendonck...
, and at the porcelain factory in Sèvres
Manufacture nationale de Sèvres
The manufacture nationale de Sèvres is a Frit porcelain porcelain tendre factory at Sèvres, France. Formerly a royal, then an imperial factory, the facility is now run by the Ministry of Culture.-Brief history:...
where he learnt the art of miniature flower painting. Taking 17th-century Dutch flower painting as a starting point, he revived the art in Denmark. His floral arrangements often had both a decorative and symbolic value. Danish plants were often accompanied by exotic flowers and fruits, sometimes even birds. He also became head artist at the Danish Procelain Factory
Royal Copenhagen
Royal Copenhagen, officially the Royal Porcelain Factory is a manufacturer of porcelain products and was founded in Copenhagen 1 May 1775 under the protection of Queen Juliane Marie...
. Jensen had an extensive circle of customers and many students, especially women, including Louise of Hesse-Kassel
Louise of Hesse-Kassel
Louise of Hesse was a German Princess and the queen consort to King Christian IX of Denmark.-Early Life and Ancestry:...
who later married King Christian IX
Christian IX of Denmark
Christian IX was King of Denmark from 16 November 1863 to 29 January 1906.Growing up as a prince of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, a junior branch of the House of Oldenburg which had ruled Denmark since 1448, Christian was originally not in the immediate line of succession to the Danish...
. Since the 1980s, his works have gained wide international recognition. Many are exhibited in Statens Museum for Kunst
Statens Museum for Kunst
Statens Museum for Kunst is the Danish national gallery located in Copenhagen....
and in Thorvaldsens Museum
Thorvaldsens Museum
The Thorvaldsen Museum is a single-artist museum in Copenhagen, Denmark, dedicated to the art of Danish neoclassicistic sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen , who lived and worked in Rome for most of his life . The museum is located on the small island of Slotsholmen in central Copenhagen next to...
.
Style
Jensen's flowers were typically arranged as a bouquet standing in a vase, usually on a tray. A dark neutral background helped to emphasize the light colourful tones of the flowers. Roses were often the principal subject, sometimes set off with another flower such as a lilly or with several flowers of different varieties. Jensen mastered the art of reproducing nature. His appreciation of earlier masterpieces can be seen in his own work. His paintings characteristically are rich in colour and variety. Some of them depict flowers lying on a table or in a basket, perhaps strung together in a wreath. While he was one of several artists who painted exotic plants from RosenborgRosenborg Castle Gardens
Rosenborg Castle Gardens is Copenhagen's oldest and most visited park with 2.5 million visitors per year.-The Renaissance gardens:...
, he was happiest when he was painting out in the country at Gentofte, sometimes painting wild flowers or strawberries. Some of his works from the 1840s contain exotic fruits or even birds.
Selected works
The following works are displayed in Statens Museum for KunstStatens Museum for Kunst
Statens Museum for Kunst is the Danish national gallery located in Copenhagen....
:
- En ananas og andre frugter (1832)
- En kurv med frugter på en træstub (1844)
- En kårde med laurbærkrans (1848)
- En vase med blomster (1834)
- Forskellige frugter, blandt andet melon og vindruer (1852)
- Kamelier og rhododendron (1852)
- Skudt vildt (1846)