Delhoved Wood near Lake Skarre, Zealand. Afternoon Light
P.C. Skovgaard (Danish, 1817–1875)
1847
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Classification
- Painting
- Dimensions
- height 132 cm, width 190 cm, height 148.1 cm, width 209.8 cm
- Culture
- Danish
- Museum
- SMK – National Gallery of Denmark
- Rights
- Public Domain Mark: SMK waives its rights in this photograph, as the museum states it.
- Who can see it
- Little Ones profiles and older: it shows gentle subjects for the very young. How works are placed
View at the SMK – National Gallery of Denmark
About this work
In this painting Skovgaard wished to depict a typical Danish beech forest. However, it attracted very negative reviews in Flyveposten when exhibited at Charlottenborg in 1847. The anonymous critic counted it among the “mere trifles” at the exhibition, seeing it as “a striking example of how a depraving influence can affect an artist’s work.” The reviewer was hinting at N.L. Høyen’s major influence on Skovgaard, regarding the painting as exemplifying Høyen’s ideas. The true intention behind the review was to criticise the strong national sentiments championed by the art historian. Høyen’s keen involvement in national discussions won him many opponents. Even so, the Royal Collection of Paintings acquired the work that same year.
