Theodor Esbern Philipsen

Theodor Esbern Philipsen was a Danish artist who painted in the style of impressionism, worked with the genres of landscape and animal painting.

Born into a Jewish merchant family in Copenhagen. From childhood, he loved to draw and to observe animals. Passion for art contributed to meeting the artist Hans Schmidt.

The master created an individual art style that combines the special play of light, movement and colors of nature when depicting animals. Theodor Philipsen is considered the founder of innovative trends in his country, the forerunner of the works of artists known in the history of art “Funen school” (Denmark). The painter was awarded the Ekersberg Medal (awarded by the Danish Royal Academy of Fine Arts) and the Bertel Thorvaldsen Medal.

Key ideas:

– The most important themes of the work of Theodor Philipsen were animals in the natural environment and nature itself, mainly the corners of his motherland Denmark. Starting from the most fruitful for the artist period of 1880s, tight and organic spiritual connection with the Impressionism of France can be felt in his paintings.
– Depicting even such not the most graceful animals as cows (they become objects most often), Philipsen begins to use his special painting style, combining a special play of light effects and colors of nature when depicting animals in motion.

– The airiness and even some ephemerality of images, the use of “pure” colors instead of complex shades mixed on a palette, the play of light are achieved by the painter after mastering the technique of using rigid small brushes, thanks to which you can create fast “hard” strokes. The main idea of ​​the artist was to depict more sun and air in the paintings in order to convey all the joyful beauty of nature.

– In an effort to convey the fluid variability of the real world, the artist expressed a desire to display moments of the highest harmony of the world and a sense of belonging to this happiness.