Ludvig Karsten
Encyclopedia
Ludvig Karsten was a Norwegian painter. He was a neo-impressionist
influenced by Edvard Munch
, Henri Matisse
and the contemporary French painting. He first participated at the Autumn exhibition
in Kristiania in 1901, and had his first separate exhibition in 1904. He is represented at museums in many Scandinavian cities, and with several paintings at the National Gallery of Norway
. Karsten was known for his bohemian lifestyle and pending temper.
as the son of builder Hans Heinrich Karsten and Ida Susanne Pfützenreuter. He was a brother of designer Marie Karsten and architect Heinrich Joachim Sebastian Karsten. His daughter Alise was born in 1909 and raised in fosterage
, until she later moved to Copenhagen to join her father and stepmother. In 1913 Karsten married the Danish sculptor Michaela (Misse) Frederikke Haslund (1886–1943). Their marriage dissolved in 1917. He died in Paris in 1926, after having fallen down a steep staircase.
, where he made landscape sketches and portraits, and also joined painter Halfdan Egedius
. After graduating from secondary school in 1895, he travelled to Rome
, and later to Firenze
and Munich
. In 1896 he travelled in Spain, and settled for a while in Madrid
. He left Spain in 1898, and was enrolled in the military services at Gardermoen
for some months. He then travelled to Munich, where he painted En mann og en kvinne, also called Adam and Eve, which has later been located at the Stenersen Museum
. He visited Paris in autumn 1900, where he trained on models
. In 1901 he was in Åsgårdstrand
, where he painted Two Men and Three Boys, which were both shown at his first appearance at the Autumn exhibition
in Kristiania in 1901. Karsten returned to Paris, where he spent several years. He was known for his boozing and temperament. After a fight with the poet Nils Collett Vogt
he was temporarily expelled from the circle of Norwegian artists residing in Paris. He visited the museum Louvre
, where he paraphrased Riberas painting of the burial of Christ. The painting was bought by Frits Thaulow
, and came to be Karsten's the first important sale. It was resold to the National Gallery in Oslo in 1909, after Thaulow's death.
Karsten's first separate exhibition, at Blomqvist in Kristiania in September and October 1904, received mixed critic in the newspapers. In 1905 he visited Edvard Munch
at Åsgårdstrand
, where Munch made a large portrait of him. After a night of heavy drinking, possibly on Midsummer
Eve, it came to quarrel which led to a violent fight between Munch and Karsten. Munch later made an etching
of his version of the incident. From 1910 Karsten lived mostly in Copenhagen, where he married in 1913. He bought a house in Skagen
in 1920.
Karsten is represented at the National Gallery of Norway
with several paintings, including Kristi gravleggelse from 1904, Vårkveld i Ula from 1905, Tæring from 1907, Det blå kjøkken
(The blue Kitchen) from 1913, Det røde kjøkken (The red Kitchen) from 1913, and Flukten fra Egypt from 1922. He is represented at the Bergen Museum
(with Søsken, and Batseba), at Nationalmuseum in Stockholm (with the painting Den lyse og mørke akt), at Statens Museum for Kunst
in Copenhagen (with Golgata from 1923), and at the Stenersen Museum
in Oslo (with the paintings Adam og Eva and Gobelin). Karsten was also well known for his paraphrases of works by elder painters, including 16th century artist Jacopo Bassano
and 17th century artists Jusepe de Ribera and Rembrandt. His last painting was a portrait of his daughter Alise, when she visited him in Paris in 1926.
Neo-impressionism
Neo-impressionism was coined by French art critic Félix Fénéon in 1886 to describe an art movement founded by Georges Seurat. Seurat’s greatest masterpiece, A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, marked the beginning of this movement when it first made its appearance at an exhibition...
influenced by Edvard Munch
Edvard Munch
Edvard Munch was a Norwegian Symbolist painter, printmaker and an important forerunner of expressionist art. His best-known composition, The Scream, is part of a series The Frieze of Life, in which Munch explored the themes of love, fear, death, melancholia, and anxiety.- Childhood :Edvard Munch...
, Henri Matisse
Henri Matisse
Henri Matisse was a French artist, known for his use of colour and his fluid and original draughtsmanship. He was a draughtsman, printmaker, and sculptor, but is known primarily as a painter...
and the contemporary French painting. He first participated at the Autumn exhibition
Høstutstillingen
Høstutstillingen or Statens kunstutstilling is an annual art exhibition in Oslo, Norway. The exhibition is Norway's largest marking of contemporary art and takes place each autumn. It is arranged by Norske Billedkunstnere . The exhibition is set up on the basis of free submission...
in Kristiania in 1901, and had his first separate exhibition in 1904. He is represented at museums in many Scandinavian cities, and with several paintings at the National Gallery of Norway
National Gallery of Norway
The National Gallery of Norway is a gallery in Oslo, Norway. Since 2003 it is administratively a part of the National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design.-History:...
. Karsten was known for his bohemian lifestyle and pending temper.
Personal life
Karsten was born in ChristianaOslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
as the son of builder Hans Heinrich Karsten and Ida Susanne Pfützenreuter. He was a brother of designer Marie Karsten and architect Heinrich Joachim Sebastian Karsten. His daughter Alise was born in 1909 and raised in fosterage
Fosterage
Fosterage, the practice of a family bringing up a child not their own, differs from adoption in that the child's parents, not the foster-parents, remain the acknowledged parents. In many modern western societies foster care can be organised by the state to care for children with troubled family...
, until she later moved to Copenhagen to join her father and stepmother. In 1913 Karsten married the Danish sculptor Michaela (Misse) Frederikke Haslund (1886–1943). Their marriage dissolved in 1917. He died in Paris in 1926, after having fallen down a steep staircase.
Career
Karsten grew up in a wealthy home in Christiania. He started taking drawing lessons 13 years old. In 1893 he made a study tour to TelemarkTelemark
is a county in Norway, bordering Vestfold, Buskerud, Hordaland, Rogaland and Aust-Agder. The county administration is in Skien. Until 1919 the county was known as Bratsberg amt.-Location:...
, where he made landscape sketches and portraits, and also joined painter Halfdan Egedius
Halfdan Egedius
Halfdan Egedius was a Norwegian painter and illustrator.-Biography:Halfdan Johnsen Egedius was born in Drammen in Buskerud county and grew up in Christiania. His interest in painting and illustration began at the age of 5 and he showed exceptional artistic abilities early...
. After graduating from secondary school in 1895, he travelled to Rome
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...
, and later to Firenze
Firenze
Firenze is the Italian name for the city of Florence.Firenze may also refer to:* Andrea da Firenze, an Italian composer* Lorenzo da Firenze, an Italian composer and music teacher of the trecento...
and Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
. In 1896 he travelled in Spain, and settled for a while in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
. He left Spain in 1898, and was enrolled in the military services at Gardermoen
Gardermoen
Gardermoen may refer to:* Gardermoen, Norway* Oslo Airport, Gardermoen* Gardermoen Air Station* Gardermoen Line* Gardermoen Station...
for some months. He then travelled to Munich, where he painted En mann og en kvinne, also called Adam and Eve, which has later been located at the Stenersen Museum
Stenersen Museum
The Stenersen Museum is an art museum in Oslo, Norway at Munkedamsveien 15.The museum shows both international and Norwegian art. The museum also houses three main art collections, donated to the Oslo municipality by Rolf E. Stenersen, Amaldus Nielsen's heirs, and Ludvig O. Ravensberg...
. He visited Paris in autumn 1900, where he trained on models
Model (art)
Art models are models who pose for photographers, painters, sculptors, and other artists as part of their work of art. Art models who pose in the nude for life drawing are usually called life models...
. In 1901 he was in Åsgårdstrand
Åsgårdstrand
Åsgårdstrand is a city in Vestfold, Norway. It is also the name of a former independent municipality and a center of trade. The town is situated 10 km south of Horten, 10 km north of Tønsberg and 100 km south of Oslo by the west coast of the Oslofjord.From 2007, the town has had the...
, where he painted Two Men and Three Boys, which were both shown at his first appearance at the Autumn exhibition
Høstutstillingen
Høstutstillingen or Statens kunstutstilling is an annual art exhibition in Oslo, Norway. The exhibition is Norway's largest marking of contemporary art and takes place each autumn. It is arranged by Norske Billedkunstnere . The exhibition is set up on the basis of free submission...
in Kristiania in 1901. Karsten returned to Paris, where he spent several years. He was known for his boozing and temperament. After a fight with the poet Nils Collett Vogt
Nils Collett Vogt
Nils Collett Vogt was a Norwegian poet.He was born in Christiania as the son of tramway director Jens Theodor Paludan Vogt and writer Johanne Collett...
he was temporarily expelled from the circle of Norwegian artists residing in Paris. He visited the museum Louvre
Louvre
The Musée du Louvre – in English, the Louvre Museum or simply the Louvre – is one of the world's largest museums, the most visited art museum in the world and a historic monument. A central landmark of Paris, it is located on the Right Bank of the Seine in the 1st arrondissement...
, where he paraphrased Riberas painting of the burial of Christ. The painting was bought by Frits Thaulow
Frits Thaulow
Frits Thaulow was a Norwegian impressionist painter, best known for his naturalistic depictions of landscape.-Biography:...
, and came to be Karsten's the first important sale. It was resold to the National Gallery in Oslo in 1909, after Thaulow's death.
Karsten's first separate exhibition, at Blomqvist in Kristiania in September and October 1904, received mixed critic in the newspapers. In 1905 he visited Edvard Munch
Edvard Munch
Edvard Munch was a Norwegian Symbolist painter, printmaker and an important forerunner of expressionist art. His best-known composition, The Scream, is part of a series The Frieze of Life, in which Munch explored the themes of love, fear, death, melancholia, and anxiety.- Childhood :Edvard Munch...
at Åsgårdstrand
Åsgårdstrand
Åsgårdstrand is a city in Vestfold, Norway. It is also the name of a former independent municipality and a center of trade. The town is situated 10 km south of Horten, 10 km north of Tønsberg and 100 km south of Oslo by the west coast of the Oslofjord.From 2007, the town has had the...
, where Munch made a large portrait of him. After a night of heavy drinking, possibly on Midsummer
Midsummer
Midsummer may simply refer to the period of time centered upon the summer solstice, but more often refers to specific European celebrations that accompany the actual solstice, or that take place on a day between June 21 and June 24, and the preceding evening. The exact dates vary between different...
Eve, it came to quarrel which led to a violent fight between Munch and Karsten. Munch later made an etching
Etching
Etching is the process of using strong acid or mordant to cut into the unprotected parts of a metal surface to create a design in intaglio in the metal...
of his version of the incident. From 1910 Karsten lived mostly in Copenhagen, where he married in 1913. He bought a house in Skagen
Skagen
Skagen is a projection of land and a town, with a population of 8,515 , in Region Nordjylland on the northernmost tip of Vendsyssel-Thy, a part of the Jutland peninsula in northern Denmark...
in 1920.
Karsten is represented at the National Gallery of Norway
National Gallery of Norway
The National Gallery of Norway is a gallery in Oslo, Norway. Since 2003 it is administratively a part of the National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design.-History:...
with several paintings, including Kristi gravleggelse from 1904, Vårkveld i Ula from 1905, Tæring from 1907, Det blå kjøkken
The Blue Kitchen
The Blue Kitchen is the title of a neo-impressionist painting by Norwegian artist Ludvig Karsten, showing a kitchen table ready for breakfast, while the morning sun is shining through the window....
(The blue Kitchen) from 1913, Det røde kjøkken (The red Kitchen) from 1913, and Flukten fra Egypt from 1922. He is represented at the Bergen Museum
Bergen Museum
The Bergen Museum is a university museum in Bergen, Norway. Founded in 1825 with the intent of building large collections in the fields of culture and natural history, it became the grounds for most of the academic activity in the city, a tradition which has prevailed since the museum became part...
(with Søsken, and Batseba), at Nationalmuseum in Stockholm (with the painting Den lyse og mørke akt), at Statens Museum for Kunst
Statens Museum for Kunst
Statens Museum for Kunst is the Danish national gallery located in Copenhagen....
in Copenhagen (with Golgata from 1923), and at the Stenersen Museum
Stenersen Museum
The Stenersen Museum is an art museum in Oslo, Norway at Munkedamsveien 15.The museum shows both international and Norwegian art. The museum also houses three main art collections, donated to the Oslo municipality by Rolf E. Stenersen, Amaldus Nielsen's heirs, and Ludvig O. Ravensberg...
in Oslo (with the paintings Adam og Eva and Gobelin). Karsten was also well known for his paraphrases of works by elder painters, including 16th century artist Jacopo Bassano
Jacopo Bassano
Jacopo Bassano , known also as Jacopo dal Ponte, was an Italian painter who was born and died in Bassano del Grappa near Venice, from which he adopted the name.- Life :...
and 17th century artists Jusepe de Ribera and Rembrandt. His last painting was a portrait of his daughter Alise, when she visited him in Paris in 1926.