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The Dane Christen Dalsgaard was born on 30 October 1824 on the Krabbesholm estate near Skive in Jutland. Dalsgaard demonstrated his artistic talent at a young age. He therefore trained as a painter. In the spring of 1841, the landscape painter Niels Rademacher came to visit his parents' farm. Rademacher encouraged the young artist to study art. He accepted the advice and travelled to Copenhagen in the same year. He began his studies at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in October. Christen Dalsgaard was not only talented, but also incredibly ambitious. In addition to his studies, the painter occupied himself with filling sketchbooks with local landscapes, costumes and lifestyles. This meticulous collection formed a lifelong basis for his art. Dalsgaard even devoted his full attention to local folk costumes.rnbr/br/rnUnlike other great painters, Christen Dalsgaard did not travel abroad. Instead, he focussed on subjects closer to home. In 1847, the artist made his debut at the baroque palace Charlottenborg in the centre of Copenhagen and exhibited his works there until his death. His big breakthrough came with the painting 'Mormons Visiting a Carpenter in the Countryside'. Other highlights such as 'The Village Carpenter Bringing a Coffin for a Dead Child' and 'Two Women Visit the Village Artist to See the Grave Cross Commissioned' followed. There is no doubt that Dalsgaard was an excellent portraitist. He knew his craft and depicted the tools and costumes of the common people in great detail. His snapshots catapulted the viewer into the centre of the action, almost as if they were observing the scene from the outside. Although the images were static, special effects brought them to life in an instant. The artwork 'A Carpenter's Workshop' leaves the impression that the door will open at any moment and the apprentice will set about sweeping up the fallen shavings.rnbr/br/rnDalsgaard has also skilfully implemented the play of colours. Thanks to sophisticated colour gradations, the audience could immediately tell what time of day the subject was. The painter spent the last years of his life in Sorø, where he worked as a drawing teacher at Sorø Akademi until 1892. He also had a penchant for religious motifs. He particularly enjoyed painting altarpieces. In 1861, this exceptional talent was even awarded the Thorvaldsen Medal for his work 'Festive Church Procession of a Woman after Childbirth'. This prize was awarded by the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts. From then on, Dalsgaard was also able to join the list of renowned prizewinners who had already received this honour before him.
The Dane Christen Dalsgaard was born on 30 October 1824 on the Krabbesholm estate near Skive in Jutland. Dalsgaard demonstrated his artistic talent at a young age. He therefore trained as a painter. In the spring of 1841, the landscape painter Niels Rademacher came to visit his parents' farm. Rademacher encouraged the young artist to study art. He accepted the advice and travelled to Copenhagen in the same year. He began his studies at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in October. Christen Dalsgaard was not only talented, but also incredibly ambitious. In addition to his studies, the painter occupied himself with filling sketchbooks with local landscapes, costumes and lifestyles. This meticulous collection formed a lifelong basis for his art. Dalsgaard even devoted his full attention to local folk costumes.rnbr/br/rnUnlike other great painters, Christen Dalsgaard did not travel abroad. Instead, he focussed on subjects closer to home. In 1847, the artist made his debut at the baroque palace Charlottenborg in the centre of Copenhagen and exhibited his works there until his death. His big breakthrough came with the painting 'Mormons Visiting a Carpenter in the Countryside'. Other highlights such as 'The Village Carpenter Bringing a Coffin for a Dead Child' and 'Two Women Visit the Village Artist to See the Grave Cross Commissioned' followed. There is no doubt that Dalsgaard was an excellent portraitist. He knew his craft and depicted the tools and costumes of the common people in great detail. His snapshots catapulted the viewer into the centre of the action, almost as if they were observing the scene from the outside. Although the images were static, special effects brought them to life in an instant. The artwork 'A Carpenter's Workshop' leaves the impression that the door will open at any moment and the apprentice will set about sweeping up the fallen shavings.rnbr/br/rnDalsgaard has also skilfully implemented the play of colours. Thanks to sophisticated colour gradations, the audience could immediately tell what time of day the subject was. The painter spent the last years of his life in Sorø, where he worked as a drawing teacher at Sorø Akademi until 1892. He also had a penchant for religious motifs. He particularly enjoyed painting altarpieces. In 1861, this exceptional talent was even awarded the Thorvaldsen Medal for his work 'Festive Church Procession of a Woman after Childbirth'. This prize was awarded by the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts. From then on, Dalsgaard was also able to join the list of renowned prizewinners who had already received this honour before him.