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View of a Street in Østerbro outside Copenhagen. Morning Light

Christen Købke1836

SMK - Statens Museum for Kunst

SMK - Statens Museum for Kunst
Copenhagen, Denmark

In 1833 Købke moved with his parents to Blegdammen by the Sortedam Lake, then located outside of Copenhagen proper. In the years that followed he found many of his motifs by the lake. Købke also found the scene shown in this picture close to his home, at the end of the lake. It shows Østerbrogade, still rural back in those days, edged by distinguished farm buildings.

Everyday scenes

Almost every morning during the summer of 1836, Købke took up position by the road to watch the sunset and a number of everyday scenes: Fishwives are resting on their way from the fishing hamlet of Skovshoved into the city in order to sell fish; a party of peasants wearing their Sunday best are on an excursion to Copenhagen in a carriage, perhaps to sell vegetables; in the middle of the road cows are following their habitual path from their stables to the common; and respectable citizens are promenading the streets in the shade along the houses.

A monumental feel

All this takes place while the first rays of the sun fall on the road, the poplars between the houses, and the water pump in the middle of the picture. The sky with its variety of clouds constitutes an important part of the picture and help imbue the scene with a monumental feel.

An everyday scene on a large scale

Everything is depicted with immense clarity and precision, and great care has been lavished on all details. Compared to other artists of the day, it was unusual for a painter to depict an everyday scene like this on such a large scale.

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  • Title: View of a Street in Østerbro outside Copenhagen. Morning Light
  • Creator: Christen Købke
  • Creator Lifespan: 1810 København - 1848 København
  • Creator Nationality: Danish
  • Creator Gender: Male
  • Creator Death Place: København
  • Creator Birth Place: København
  • Date Created: 1836
  • Værktekst: I 1833 flyttede Købke med sine forældre til Blegdammen ved Sortedams Sø uden for det daværende København. I de følgende år fandt han en stor del af sine motiver ved søen. Det var også i nærheden af sit hjem, for enden af søen, Købke fandt motivet til dette maleri. Det viser den landlige Østerbrogade omgivet af nogle fornemme landejendomme. Hverdagsagtige optrin Næsten hver morgen i sommeren 1836 stillede Købke sig ved vejen og iagttog solopgangen og en række hverdagsagtige optrin: Nogle fiskerkoner har taget et hvil på deres vej fra fiskerlejet Skovshoved ind til byen for at sælge fisk; et selskab af søndagsklædte bønder er på udflugt til København i hestevogn, måske for at sælge grøntsager; midt på vejen går nogle køer den vante vej fra stalden i byen ud til fælleden; og nogle pæne borgere promenerer i skyggen langs husene. Alt dette udspiller sig, mens solens første stråler falder hen over vejen og rammer poplerne mellem husene og vandposten midt i billedet. Dagligdagsmotiv i stort format Himlen med de forskellige typer skyer udgør en væsentlig del af billedet og er med til at give motivet en monumental virkning. Det hele er skildret med umådelig klarhed og præcision, og man fornemmer, at der er kælet for alle detaljerne. Set i forhold til hans samtids maleri var det usædvanligt, at en maler har skildret et dagligdags motiv som dette i et så stort format.
  • Teknik: Olie på lærred
  • Proveniens: Køb 1866
  • Provenance: Acquired 1866
  • Physical Dimensions: w161.5 x h106.5 cm (Without frame)
  • Featured Place: Østerbro
  • Dansk link: http://www.smk.dk/index.php?id=2685
  • Dansk Titel: Parti af Østerbro i morgenbelysning
  • Type: Painting
  • Rights: Statens Museum for Kunst, http://www.smk.dk/en/copyright/creative-commons/
  • Medium: Oil on canvas
SMK - Statens Museum for Kunst

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