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A Running Boy. Marcus Holst von Schmidten

Jens Juel1802

SMK - Statens Museum for Kunst

SMK - Statens Museum for Kunst
Copenhagen, Denmark

Here, Juel chose to depict a young nobleman dashing off to school.The school in question was Christianis Institut, which focused greatly on movement and exercise and built Denmark’s first playground.

The young nobleman, Marcus Pauli Holst von Schmidten, is seen running on his way to school; his school is glimpsed in the background. The boy’s figure is simultaneously in movement and in balance. It is one of few examples of a figure in movement in Juel’s mature work. Like several other of Juel’s late works, this painting has a certain classical feel. It has prompted comparisons to the portraits created by his contemporary, the French artist Jacques Louis David, but there is no evidence proving that Juel had direct knowledge of David. It is, however, possible that Juel was introduced to English portraits through his friend, the engraver J. F. Clemens, who stayed in London 1792-95. An engraving after the American painter Gilbert Stuart's The Skater (Washington, National Gallery of Art) may have served as inspiration for this painting. The landscape does not surround the boy; it exclusively serves to form the background, thereby helping to give the painting a relief-like feel.

Juel’s decision to show the boy in movement is very deliberate; the boy attended the Christianis Institut school, which lay outside of the Copenhagen of the day (where the Vesterbro neighbourhood is today). The school did pioneering work to give children the opportunity to play and do athletics in the open air. The school’s playground was the first to be built in Denmark.

Details

  • Title: A Running Boy. Marcus Holst von Schmidten
  • Creator: Jens Juel
  • Creator Lifespan: 1745 Balslev - 1802 København
  • Creator Nationality: Danish
  • Creator Gender: Male
  • Creator Death Place: København
  • Creator Birth Place: Balslev
  • Date Created: 1802
  • Værktekst: Juel har her valgt at afbillede en ung adelsmand i fuld firspring på vej til skole. Skolen var Christianis Institut, der havde stor fokus på bevægelse, og som byggede Danmarks første legeplads. Den unge adelsmand, kammerjunker Marcus Pauli Holst von Schmidten, ses løbende på vej til sin skole, som skimtes i baggrunden. Drengeskikkelsen er på én gang i bevægelse og afbalanceret. Det er et af de få eksempler på en figur i bevægelse fra Juels modne kunst. Maleriet har ligesom flere andre af Juels sene arbejder et vist klassisk præg. Det har ledt til sammenligning med den jævnaldrende franske maler Jacques Louis Davids portrætkunst, uden at et førstehåndskendskab til franskmanden dog har kunnet påvises. Til gengæld kan Juel være blevet introduceret til engelske portrætter gennem vennen, kobberstikkeren J.F.Clemens, der var i London 1792-95. En stikgengivelse efter den amerikanske maler Gilbert Stuart's The Skater (Washington, National Gallery of Art) kan have været inspirationskilde til dette billede. Landskabet omgiver ikke drengen, men danner udelukkende baggrund, hvilket er med til at gøre billedet reliefagtigt. Det er ikke tilfældigt, at Juel har valgt at vise drengen i bevægelse, da hans skole ikke var nogen almindelig skole, men Christianis Institut, der lå uden for København (i den nuværende bydel Vesterbro), og hvor der blev udført en pionerindsats for at give børn mulighed for at dyrke leg og gymnastik i det fri. Legepladsen var Danmarks første.
  • Teknik: Olie på lærred
  • Proveniens: Køb 1923
  • Provenance: Acquired 1923
  • Physical Dimensions: w126 x h180.5 cm (Without frame)
  • Featured Place: København
  • Dansk link: http://www.smk.dk/index.php?id=2283
  • Dansk Titel: Løbende dreng. Marcus Holst von Schmidten
  • Type: Painting
  • Rights: Statens Museum for Kunst, http://www.smk.dk/en/copyright/creative-commons/
  • Medium: Oil on canvas

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