Høns udenfor en gård i Kastrup. Katrupvejen 1895

Theodor Philipsen made this sepia drawing, “Høns udenfor en gård i Kastrup. Katrupvejen”, with pen and brown ink. Philipsen was part of a generation of Danish artists who turned away from grand historical painting, focusing instead on everyday life. This drawing shows chickens outside a farm in Kastrup. It gives us a glimpse into rural Denmark, a country undergoing rapid industrialization. The loose, informal style reflects a broader shift in artistic taste, away from academic precision and towards a more immediate engagement with the world. We see the influence of French Realism and Impressionism, movements that encouraged artists to find beauty in the mundane. Philipsen studied in Paris and was particularly inspired by Impressionist landscape painting. Studying Philipsen’s notebooks, letters, and exhibition reviews can reveal much about the changing art world of late 19th-century Denmark and Europe. Such resources help us understand the changing dynamics of urban and rural life.