Albert Gottschalk

Albert Gottschalk was a Danish painter, best known for his impressionistic landscapes. He was born into a craftsman family in Copenhagen and received drawing lessons from prominent artists such as Martinus Rørbye, Christen Købke and Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg. He travelled extensively in Europe and lived in Dresden, Rome and Paris, where he became influenced by French art. Gottschalk was ambitious, technically skilled, and he worked a long time with his motifs in his mind before painting them. He searched for his motifs in Denmark on his bicycle, and he found them often around Copenhagen and the island of Møn. He painted realistic and atmospheric scenes of nature and rural life, often with a touch of melancholy. He was also interested in the emerging techniques of photography and experimented with light and shadow effects. He was a close friend of the poets Johannes Jørgensen, Viggo Stuckenberg and Sophus Claussen, and he illustrated some of their works. He was a member of the artists' association Den Frie from 1900 and exhibited his paintings regularly. He died on his 39th birthday in Copenhagen.