The Prison of Copenhagen 1831
martinusrorbye1
statensmuseumforkunst
canvas
water colours
building site documentary shot
cultural heritage
culture event photography
canvas
underpainting
painting painterly
watercolour bleed
watercolour illustration
mixed media
watercolor
"The Prison of Copenhagen" (1831) by Danish artist Martinus Rørbye is a detailed depiction of the entrance to the city's main prison. This genre painting showcases Rørbye's mastery of capturing everyday life. The scene is bustling with activity, featuring a diverse array of figures, from fashionable gentlemen in top hats to working-class individuals. The imposing archway, the prison building, and the surrounding streets are rendered with a sense of realism, highlighting the architectural details of Copenhagen. Rørbye’s keen eye for observation is evident in the small details, such as the dog wandering through the scene, the street vendor, and the soldiers guarding the entrance. "The Prison of Copenhagen" offers a glimpse into the life of the city during the early 19th century.
Comments
During the years where Rørbye concluded his time at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, he did large numbers of drawn landscapes and views of Copenhagen and its environs, as well as paintings showing scenes of street life in the Danish capital.Familiar types from everyday lifeThe works, which proved very popular with buyers, were characterised by their panoply of familiar types drawn from everyday life and by their moralising allusions, making them something other than simple snapshots of life.The architectural surroundingsThe street scene from the Nytorv in Copenhagen strikes an edifying note even with its architectural surroundings. C.F. Hansen’s prison is a principal piece of Golden Age architecture. It is “eloquent” architecture with a stern look intended to instil fear of the consequences of any crime.The painting's figuresIn the background a young man is asking an older moneylender for a loan, while another young man points an admonitory finger to the debtor’s prison behind him. To the left of the arched doorway the transaction between the old and young women refers to the scales of Justice; the young dandy in the middle of the picture, his hand in his bulging pocket, sends lusty glances at the young mother to the right.The small signs of the characters’ less than appealing traits are commented on by the old man in the foreground - a misanthrope who does not even put out his light in broad daylight.?
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Rørbye’s moralising depiction of street life in Copenhagen strikes an improving note with its architectural frame alone. With its forbidding aspect, C.F. Hansen’s prison struck fear of the cost of any crime into citizens. In the background a young man is asking an older moneylender for a loan, while another points tellingly to the debtor’s prison behind him. The young dandy in the middle gazes lustily at the young mother to the right. Depictions of life within the town walls were popular at the time. Typical characteristics of the genre included a plethora of types familiar from everyday life and moralising narratives rather than documentary accounts. Such art allowed the affluent to confirm their own moral superiority in images ensconced between family portraits, safely secluded from actual events.
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