Jens Juel (painter)
Encyclopedia
Jens Juel was a Danish
painter, primarily known for his many portraits, of which the largest collection is on display at Frederiksborg Castle.
on the island of Funen
. Jens Juel was the illegitimate son of Vilhelmine Elisabeth Juel (January 1725 – March 1799), who served at Wedellsborg, and a fine gentleman, probably a Wedell or Lord Jens Juel. When Juel was one year old, his mother married Jørgen Jørgensen (1724 – June 4, 1796), who was a schoolmaster in Gamborg, not far from Balslev, and he grew up in Gamborg.
He showed an interest in painting from an early age, and his parents sent him to be an apprentice of painter Johann Michael Gehrman in Hamburg, where he worked hard for five or six years and improved so much that he acquired a reputation as a painter of portraits, landscapes, etc. At just over twenty years old, he moved to Copenhagen
to attend the Royal Danish Academy of Art
. In 1767 he was awarded its small gold medal and in 1771 the large gold medal.
In 1772 he left Copenhagen, moving to Rome
where he stayed for four years together with other Danish artists, including Nicolai Abildgaard. From Rome, he moved to Paris
, at the time a center of portrait painting. In 1777 he moved on to Geneva
, where he stayed for two years at the home of his friend Charles Bonnet
in the company of other Danish artists, including etcher Johann Friderich Clemens. In Geneva, Juel soon earned himself a reputation as an excellent artist, and he painted many portraits. Through Bonnet, who had become an honorary member of the Danish Academy, his reputation reached Denmark
. After a brief stay in Hamburg
, where he met and painted a portrait of the celebrated poet Friedrich Gottlieb Klopstock
, author of The Messiah, he returned to Copenhagen in 1780. Here he painted portraits for the royal house, nobility, and the well-to-do, as well as landscapes and genre paintings.
On 4 April 1782, he was unanimously elected to be a member of the Danish Academy by Mandelberg, Weidenhaupt, and Abildgaard
. He became the director of the Academy in 1795.
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, primarily known for his many portraits, of which the largest collection is on display at Frederiksborg Castle.
Early life and career
He was born in the house of his mother's brother Johan Jørgensen, who was a school teacher in BalslevEjby municipality
Until 1 January 2007, Ejby municipality was a municipality in Funen County on the north and west coasts of the island of Funen in southern Denmark. The municipality included the island of Brandsø, covered an area of 163 km², and had a total population of 10,046 . Its last mayor was Claus...
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...
. Jens Juel was the illegitimate son of Vilhelmine Elisabeth Juel (January 1725 – March 1799), who served at Wedellsborg, and a fine gentleman, probably a Wedell or Lord Jens Juel. When Juel was one year old, his mother married Jørgen Jørgensen (1724 – June 4, 1796), who was a schoolmaster in Gamborg, not far from Balslev, and he grew up in Gamborg.
He showed an interest in painting from an early age, and his parents sent him to be an apprentice of painter Johann Michael Gehrman in Hamburg, where he worked hard for five or six years and improved so much that he acquired a reputation as a painter of portraits, landscapes, etc. At just over twenty years old, he moved to Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
to attend the Royal Danish Academy of Art
Royal Danish Academy of Art
The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts has provided a practice-oriented complement to the scholarly investigation of the arts carried out at Danish universities for more than 250 years, playing a crucial part in the development of the distinctive tradition of the art of Denmark.- History :The Royal...
. In 1767 he was awarded its small gold medal and in 1771 the large gold medal.
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
where he stayed for four years together with other Danish artists, including Nicolai Abildgaard. From Rome, he moved to 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...
, at the time a center of portrait painting. In 1777 he moved on to Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
, where he stayed for two years at the home of his friend Charles Bonnet
Charles Bonnet
Charles Bonnet , Swiss naturalist and philosophical writer, was born at Geneva, of a French family driven into Switzerland by the religious persecution in the 16th century.-Life and work:Bonnet's life was uneventful...
in the company of other Danish artists, including etcher Johann Friderich Clemens. In Geneva, Juel soon earned himself a reputation as an excellent artist, and he painted many portraits. Through Bonnet, who had become an honorary member of the Danish Academy, his reputation reached 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...
. After a brief stay in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, where he met and painted a portrait of the celebrated poet Friedrich Gottlieb Klopstock
Friedrich Gottlieb Klopstock
Friedrich Gottlieb Klopstock was a German poet.-Biography:Klopstock was born at Quedlinburg, the eldest son of a lawyer.Both in his birthplace and on the estate of Friedeburg on the Saale, which his father later rented, young Klopstock passed a happy childhood; and more attention having been given...
, author of The Messiah, he returned to Copenhagen in 1780. Here he painted portraits for the royal house, nobility, and the well-to-do, as well as landscapes and genre paintings.
On 4 April 1782, he was unanimously elected to be a member of the Danish Academy by Mandelberg, Weidenhaupt, and Abildgaard
Abildgaard
Abildgaard is a Danish surname and may refer to:*Søren Abildgaard , Danish naturalist*Nikolaj Abraham Abildgaard , Danish painter...
. He became the director of the Academy in 1795.