This gentle early 20th-century oil painting by Danish artist Wenzel Tornøe (1844-1907) depicts a view with a lake and trees. Tornøe was an accomplished painter of portraits, scenes, and landscapes.
Bathed in Nordic light, filtered through dense cloud, the silvery water is a patchwork of textures. Grasses hug a diagonal bank, massing into a single form before blending into a crowded wood. The reflections are simple yet deft.
Born in the picturesque rural idyll of Lehnshøj near Svendborg in Denmark, Tornøe was raised on a farm close to the coastline on the island of Funen. From here, he could explore lakes, forests, and open pasture with views extending across the archipelago. As a boy, he studied initially at Horsen's Latin School before travelling to Copenhagen to enroll at the renowned Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts.
At the Academy, a firm emphasis was placed upon honing one’s proficiency with a pencil and the young aspirant would’ve spent countless hours sketching classical statues and studying the old masters. Students were instructed in the advanced techniques of figurative work. During his graduation year, 1865, he debuted at the Charlottenborg Spring Exhibition, the foremost art show in Denmark, where he would continue to display works throughout his impressive career.
Examples of his oils during these formative years are few and far between but include an interesting group portrait of his family.
Twelve years later, inspired by a study trip to Rome, his finesse had improved noticeably. As we see here, in this refined portrait of an Italian girl.
Indeed, it was Tornøe’s sojourns to Italy that appear to have furnished both his portraits and scenes with richness and spirit. He would return time and again, captivated by its unique charms, and sketch amid the abundant Mediterranean light. He married the artist, Karen Elisabeth Blumer, and perhaps the two travelled together.
During the 1870s, he focused predominantly on genre painting - capturing domestic moments with dexterity and a sense of fine Italian lustre. There’s a three-dimensional quality to his figures with chiaroscuro amplified via intelligent lighting. One such masterpiece, ‘Seamstress, Whitsunday Morning’, from 1882, was successful both aesthetically and emotionally. It highlighted the plight and tireless endeavour of 19th-century seamstresses and was extensively praised by the critics.
Over the years, he produced numerous works featuring women in various domestic settings, which were popular with female buyers seeking to fill their homes with art they could relate to.
Genre painting became Tornøe’s raison d'être and he developed a sound reputation with both the Academy and patrons. However, he also produced landscapes, such as this piece from circa 1900, which were a great deal more liberated than his exhibited work. Only a few are viewable via digitised archives but it’s clear that he enjoyed painting en plein air, particularly in Italy. He also worked at Innsbruck in Austria.
There’s a pleasing rhythm to his views gained, perhaps, through a lack of inhibition. These were not intended for the spotlight of Charlottenborg Spring, they simply captured an enticing vignette amid the abundant charms of nature. He’s represented in numerous public collections including at the Statens Museum for Kunst.
Held in a later gilt frame.
Learn more about Wenzel Tornøe in our directory.
Medium: Oil on canvas laid on board
Overall size: 12½” x 16” / 32cm x 41cm
Year of creation: c. 1900
Labels & Inscriptions: Stamped on reverse with “Painted by Wenzel Tornøe, Estate Auction by Architect Holger Tornøe, March 1968, Nellemann & Thomsen”.
Provenance: With Wenzel Tornøe’s son, Holger Tornøe / Nellemann & Thomsen, Viby, Århus, Denmark, March 1968 / Private collection, Denmark.
Condition: Cleaned. Revarnished. Frame with a little wear.
Artist’s auction maximum: £34,972 for ‘Aqua Alta (1889)’, Oil on canvas, Copenhagen, Denmark, 9 December 2003 (lot 1257).
Our reference: BRV2085
