An engaging forest landscape by Danish master Peder Mork Mønsted, acclaimed as the leading Danish landscape artist at the turn of the century. Like many of his contemporaries, Mønsted viewed nature as a symbol of purity and he was an undeniable master at rendering the effects of the changing seasons and natural light with such incredible detail that his paintings have an almost photographic quality. His paintings pay homage to the glorious Scandinavian countryside in a way that engages the viewer, drawing them into the scene. Today, Mønsted is celebrated as the greatest landscapist of his time. Born at the end of the "golden age" of Danish painting, Mønsted's remarkable eye for detail and color is unquestionably a product of that era. His naturalistic, plein air compositions are phenomenal in terms of clarity and use of light.

Mønsted was born in Balle near Ganaa in eastern Denmark and later moved to Copenhagen. He studied at the Academy of Copenhagen between 1875 and 1876, under Andries Fritz (1828 1906), a landscape and portrait painter, and was taught figure painting by Julius Exner (1825 1910). Here, he studied and was greatly influenced by the work of artists such as Christen Kobke (1810-1848), an outstanding colorist and Pieter Christian Skorgaard (1817 1875), a romantic nationalist painter. Mønsted travelled extensively throughout his long career, being a frequent visitor to Switzerland, Norway, Sweden, Italy, North Africa and the Mediterranean. Mønsted relished in painting the Danish landscape and coastline, subject matters that proved to be his most captivating. His works reflect a romantic and highly poetic view of nature ingeniously translated into the grandest landscapes of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.


References:

Dictionnaire des Peintres, Sculpteurs, Dessinateurs et Graveurs, 1976, E. Bénézit.

Davenport's Art Reference, 1994, R.J. Davenport.