Lot 46 Dα

Denmark experienced an artistic heyday in the early 19th century. Neoclassical artists like Berthel Thorvaldsen and Nicolai Abildgaard achieved renown throughout Europe, and the period that followed, the generation of Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg and Christian Købke, was regarded as the Golden Age of Danish art. This glory had long since faded when Peder Mønsted applied to the landscape classes at the Copenhagen Academy in 1875. He was among the young Danish artists in the late 19th century who had to reorientate themselves during this time. A trip to Italy – Rome, Naples, Capri – in 1882 and his stay in Paris after, where he studied under William-Adolphe Bouguereau, offered new artistic impulses. Mønsted developed a looser style of painting that allowed him to capture natural phenomena with an astounding naturalism. This naturalism at times transformed itself into a magical depiction of landscape, as in his snow scenes (lot 46).