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Peter Vilhelm Ilsted was one of the leading Danish artists of the early 20th century and made a name for himself internationally, especially through innovations in printmaking. Typical of the progressive art society "Free Exhibition", his paintings offer insight into the quiet hours of middle-class life of his time, captivating with a reduced colorfulness and a delicate glow typical of him.
Born into a Danish merchant family, Ilsted began his artistic career in 1878 at the Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen, where he also met his colleague and later brother-in-law Vilhelm Hammershøi. In 1883 he presented himself for the first time to the Danish art world at the Charlottenborg Spring Exhibition. The good reception was followed two years later by a gold medal for a portrait painting. In 1886 he embarked on a study tour of Italy, Egypt, Palestine, Greece and Turkey. Visits to Scotland, England, Holland, Belgium, Spain, Morocco and France followed. His international reputation grew rapidly. His works were exhibited at the 1889 World's Fair in Paris, in London in 1907, and also in Germany and at the Paris Salon. In 1890 and again in 1899 he received the Eckersberg Medal. His success was also appreciated at home. From 1893-1905 he was an assistant at the Academy of Fine Arts, and in 1899 he was elected a member of the Copenhagen Academy of Art. Occasionally he was entrusted with restoration work.
Peter Vilhelm Ilsted's work belongs to the circle of the progressive art society "Free Exhibition" (Den Frie Udstilling), founded in 1891, which also included Vilhelm Hammershøi as well as Carl Holsøe. These artists became known for depicting "sunshine and quiet spaces." Memories of Vermeer are evoked in their depiction of a quiet, orderly life. Their works provide glimpses of orderly rooms, where mainly young women are seen from behind or in profile studying or absorbed in self-reflection. The contemplative genre scenes of mother and child, two girls playing, a boy studying, or a girl reading exude a tranquility about which the lighting and the view from behind raise doubts: Is everything really as peaceful as it seems? Ilsted and his colleagues received great recognition during their lifetimes. Whistler and Duret, for example, collected his works, which were characterized by a delicate luminosity of reduced colors and technical virtuosity in printmaking.
Unlike his colleagues, Ilsted showed a special interest in printmaking. Ilsted worked mainly in black and white, but there are also colored prints. In doing so, he achieved a fine tonality that makes his works the most significant examples of mezzotint ever. His contribution to the development of the printing technique à la poupée, in which the entire plate is inked once, is considered revolutionary. Ilsted achieved international fame during his lifetime and died highly respected in Copenhagen in 1933.
Peter Vilhelm Ilsted was one of the leading Danish artists of the early 20th century and made a name for himself internationally, especially through innovations in printmaking. Typical of the progressive art society "Free Exhibition", his paintings offer insight into the quiet hours of middle-class life of his time, captivating with a reduced colorfulness and a delicate glow typical of him.
Born into a Danish merchant family, Ilsted began his artistic career in 1878 at the Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen, where he also met his colleague and later brother-in-law Vilhelm Hammershøi. In 1883 he presented himself for the first time to the Danish art world at the Charlottenborg Spring Exhibition. The good reception was followed two years later by a gold medal for a portrait painting. In 1886 he embarked on a study tour of Italy, Egypt, Palestine, Greece and Turkey. Visits to Scotland, England, Holland, Belgium, Spain, Morocco and France followed. His international reputation grew rapidly. His works were exhibited at the 1889 World's Fair in Paris, in London in 1907, and also in Germany and at the Paris Salon. In 1890 and again in 1899 he received the Eckersberg Medal. His success was also appreciated at home. From 1893-1905 he was an assistant at the Academy of Fine Arts, and in 1899 he was elected a member of the Copenhagen Academy of Art. Occasionally he was entrusted with restoration work.
Peter Vilhelm Ilsted's work belongs to the circle of the progressive art society "Free Exhibition" (Den Frie Udstilling), founded in 1891, which also included Vilhelm Hammershøi as well as Carl Holsøe. These artists became known for depicting "sunshine and quiet spaces." Memories of Vermeer are evoked in their depiction of a quiet, orderly life. Their works provide glimpses of orderly rooms, where mainly young women are seen from behind or in profile studying or absorbed in self-reflection. The contemplative genre scenes of mother and child, two girls playing, a boy studying, or a girl reading exude a tranquility about which the lighting and the view from behind raise doubts: Is everything really as peaceful as it seems? Ilsted and his colleagues received great recognition during their lifetimes. Whistler and Duret, for example, collected his works, which were characterized by a delicate luminosity of reduced colors and technical virtuosity in printmaking.
Unlike his colleagues, Ilsted showed a special interest in printmaking. Ilsted worked mainly in black and white, but there are also colored prints. In doing so, he achieved a fine tonality that makes his works the most significant examples of mezzotint ever. His contribution to the development of the printing technique à la poupée, in which the entire plate is inked once, is considered revolutionary. Ilsted achieved international fame during his lifetime and died highly respected in Copenhagen in 1933.