Maleren C. Købke 1870 - 1883

This is an ink drawing of the painter Christen Købke, which was made by an anonymous artist. It’s a copy of a drawing by P. C. Skovgaard, and is now held at the Statens Museum for Kunst. The portrait captures Købke, a central figure in the Danish Golden Age. He is depicted as a bourgeois man, in an understated suit and bow tie, with close cropped hair. Købke's own artistic journey was one of navigating societal expectations while pursuing his creative passions. His paintings often depicted scenes from daily life and the natural world, reflecting a desire to connect with the ordinary. Yet as a painter, he faced social pressures, straddling the line between artistic expression and acceptance. His story serves as a reminder of the complexities artists navigate as they try to balance their personal vision with the demands of the world around them.