Jørgen Roed
Selecting Trees for Felling, n.d.
Oil on canvas, 29,5 x 38,5 cm.
Inventory number: 0177NMK
Gift from Christian Hage, 1983

 

In addition to painting portraits, Jørgen Roed also enjoyed working with subjects that often depicted everyday situations instead of functioning as actual stories. In this idyllic scene from a Danish forest, the artist has depicted a forester conversing with a lumberjack. The lumberjack is pointing at one of the birch trees, presumably discussing with the forester whether it should be cut down, while holding his axe close to his body. With a raised head and thoughtful expression, the forester is closely examining the tree, while his dog waits obediently by his side. The entire composition is rendered in a light and vibrant colour scheme, underscoring the idyllic summer atmosphere.


 

Jørgen Roed (1808-1888)
Jørgen Roed joined the Art Academy at the age of fourteen as a student of the portraitist Heinrich Hansen. He later studied under C.W. Eckersberg and for many years, he was interested in architecture painting, which he practiced during his study abroad in Italy in the period 1837-1841. Here, he also carried out many landscapes and received commissions for altarpieces from patrons at home in Denmark. After his return, he supported himself primarily as a portraitist for financial reasons, but it was the earliest paintings that would be of most significance in the future. Roed carried out numerous artist portraits, among others of Wilhelm Marstand and Herman Wilhelm Bissen.

Translator: The translation agency Diction – J. Niclas B. Jensen

FØLG OS PÅ instagram

FOLLOw us on instagram