Emil Bærentzen

Quick Facts

Intro

Painter and lithographer

A.K.A.

Emilius Ditlev Baerentzen

Places

Denmark

was

Painter Lithographer

Work field

Arts Science

Gender

Male

Birth

30 October 1799 People who share this birthday

Place of birth

Copenhagen

Death

14 February 1868 People who died on this day

Place of death

Copenhagen

Age

68 years

The details (from wikipedia)

Biography

Emilius Ditlev Bærentzen, usually known as Emil Bærentzen, (30 October 1799 in Copenhagen – 14 February 1868 in Copenhagen) was a Danish portrait painter and lithographer, active during the Golden Age of Danish Painting.

Biography

Born in Copenhagen on 30 October 1799, Bærentzen served an apprenticeship at the pharmacy in Nykøbing Sjælland but then travelled to Christiansted on the then Danish island of St. Croix in the West Indies where he worked in one of the government offices. Five years later he returned to Denmark and, after qualifying as a lawyer, moved into painting which until then he had practiced as a hobby. In 1821, he entered the Danish Academy where he studied under Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg. He was awarded the little silver medal in 1826 and the large silver medal the following year. He soon became one of Copenhagen's most popular portrait painters. His paintings were characterized by an elegant but sober style, free of psychological trimmings in accordance with contemporary practice. One of his most successful works is the portrait of Søren Kierkegaard's fiancée Regine Olsen (1840).

In 1837, he began to specialize in lithography with H.L. Danschell who managed his deceased father-in-law's oilcloth factory where stones were used to colour the fabric. This led to the founding of a lithographic company, Emilius Bärentzen & Co.s litografiske Institut, which later became Hoffensberg, Jespersen & Fr. Trap. Bærentzen made lithographs of many of the period's most important figures. He continued to work both as a lithographer and artist until 1866 when he painted the portrait of Cosmus Bræstrup for the Freemasons lodge in Helsingør. He died on 14 February 1868.