Benjamin Olsen

Key facts

Lived

1873–1935, Danish

Movement

• Realism

1. 1873Born Christian Benjamin Olsen in Odense, Denmark. He trained as a marine painter under Christian Blache in Copenhagen, learning the naturalistic ship portrait tradition.
2. 1900Began exhibiting regularly at the Charlottenborg Exhibition in Copenhagen at the age of 27. His precise, atmospheric paintings of ships and harbours followed the Danish maritime realist tradition.
3. 1906Joined Bing and Grondahl porcelain factory in Copenhagen at the age of 33 as a porcelain painter. He decorated vases with underglaze maritime scenes, a technique he mastered with notable skill.
4. 1913Moved to the Royal Copenhagen porcelain factory at the age of 40, where he worked for the remaining two decades of his life. He spent considerable time in the fishing village of Skagen, painting ships in the harbour.
5. 1935Died in Frederiksberg, aged 61. His marine paintings and porcelain work preserve a detailed record of Danish sailing vessels from the early twentieth century.

• What is Benjamin Olsen known for?+

  Benjamin Olsen is known for his marine paintings depicting ships, sea, and harbours. He is also known for decorating vases with ship scenes while working as a porcelain painter.
• What is Benjamin Olsen's most famous work?+

  It is difficult to identify Benjamin Olsen's single most famous work, as multiple pieces are listed in catalogues and collections. These include paintings, sketches, and studies featuring a range of subjects. Some of his pieces include religious scenes, such as _The Raising of the Cross_ and _Christ and His Disciples_. Olsen also created portraits, such as _Portrait of Saskia_ and _Portrait of Cornelis Claesz Anslo_. Other subjects include scenes from daily life and mythology, for example _The Interior of a House, with a Winding Staircase_, _Diana at the Bath_, and _Diana and Callisto_. Olsen also produced self-portraits and copies after other artists, such as _The Last Supper, after Leonardo da Vinci_. Without further information, it is not possible to determine which of these works is the most well-known.
• What should I know about Benjamin Olsen's prints?+

  When assessing Benjamin Olsen's prints, bear in mind some basic print terminology. Printmakers create images, conceived as prints, using a matrix such as a plate, stone, screen or block. Each print is made individually, and the artist decides the number in the edition. Each is numbered sequentially, such as 12/25 (print 12 of an edition of 25). An original print is a definitive print made by the artist or under their direct supervision. The Professional Art Dealers Association of Canada (PADAC) has its own definition of both an original print and a reproduction, which is accepted by all major arts organisations in the country. A vintage print is a photograph printed around the time that the negative was taken. A period print is one made after shooting (an interval of up to 10 to 15 years is generally considered compatible with this term). If the time of printing is unknown or more than 15 years after shooting, the photograph is qualified as an old print, as opposed to a modern print. A modern or contemporary print is a recently printed photograph from the original negative.
• What style or movement did Benjamin Olsen belong to?+

  Benjamin Olsen was part of the Realism movement, which emerged around 1840 and lasted until about 1880. Realism developed partly as a revolt against emotionalism. It also rejected both Neoclassicism and Romanticism, favouring "truth to nature". The Realists chose to represent ordinary people and activities, rather than historical, biblical, or mythological subjects. They reacted against the artificiality and materialism of society, as well as academic rules. They stressed factual accuracy, avoiding exaggeration and personal bias. Gustave Courbet, a French painter, is considered the best-known proponent of the style. Other artists who worked in related styles include the Pre-Raphaelites in England, Wilhelm Leibl in Germany, and, in the United States, William Sidney Mount, Winslow Homer, and Thomas Eakins. Realist imperatives were expressed in other art forms as well as painting. Realist sculptors, such as the American William Rimmer, conveyed anatomically accurate images of the human body.
• What techniques or materials did Benjamin Olsen use?+

  Benjamin Olsen's practice involves oil paint, often combined with other materials to alter its properties and working characteristics. Oil paint is typically mixed with solvents, mediums, and varnishes. Solvents such as mineral spirits are used mainly to clean brushes; mediums are added to dilute oil colours and increase their flow, and varnishes provide a protective final layer. Some artists mix oil paint with wax and turpentine. The wax is melted and mixed with turpentine to create a medium, which is then combined with the paint. The mixture is applied to the canvas with a brush, then worked with a spatula or knife. The amount of wax added affects the consistency of the paint. The cost of materials is a factor. Pigments such as malachite, azurite, cinnabar, and Egyptian blue are valuable. The cost of transporting materials also affects the value of a work.
• What was Benjamin Olsen known for?+

  Benjamin Olsen is associated with Realism, a movement that flourished from the 1840s to around 1880. Realist artists confronted life directly, without idealisation, and found subjects in the everyday world. Realism developed, in part, as a reaction against academic art. Unlike Neoclassical works, which used antiquity as a model, Realist artists depicted contemporary events and modern society. They believed that beauty and truth lay in nature, and that artists should represent their own time and place. Realism was also linked to socialist ideas. Artists began to depict workers and the abuses they suffered in factories. Middle-class intellectuals and workers agitated for more representation in government. Realist artists shared concerns across Europe and America. Some, such as William Sidney Mount, adapted the style to the American context, while others represented classical subjects with a Realist approach.
• When did Benjamin Olsen live and work?+

  Benjamin Olsen's lifespan and working years are not covered in the provided texts. The texts discuss the life and career of Edvard Munch (1863-1944), a Norwegian painter and printmaker associated with Symbolism and Expressionism. They also mention Ejnar Hansen (1884-1965), a Danish-American painter known for his California landscapes and portraits. Munch was born in Løten, Norway, in 1863. He studied art in Oslo and Paris, and spent significant periods in Germany. His career gained momentum in the 1890s, with exhibitions across Europe. He produced paintings, etchings, lithographs, and woodcuts. He bequeathed his remaining works to the city of Oslo; they are now housed in the Munch-museet, which opened in 1963. Hansen, born in Copenhagen in 1884, immigrated to the United States in 1914. He lived and worked in the Midwest before settling in Pasadena, California, in 1925, where he taught art for many years.
• Where can I see Benjamin Olsen's work?+

  To view works, visit institutions that feature art deco or textile art. Several museums have relevant collections. In the United States, these include the Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art (Winter Park, Florida), the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York), the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, the Museum of Modern Art (New York), the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (Richmond), and the Wolfsonian at Florida International University (Miami Beach). Others are the J. Paul Getty Museum (Los Angeles), the High Museum (Atlanta), the Art Institute of Chicago, the Museum of Fine Arts (Boston), the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Des Moines Art Center, the Detroit Institute of Arts, the Wadsworth Atheneum (Hartford), the Hammer Museum (Los Angeles), the Walker Art Center (Minneapolis), and the Baltimore Museum of Art. In Canada, see the Royal Ontario Museum (Toronto). In the United Kingdom, visit the Bakelite Museum (Williton), the Brighton Museum & Art Gallery, the Geffrye Museum (London), the Manchester Art Gallery, the National Museums of Scotland Royal Museum (Edinburgh), and the Victoria & Albert Museum (London). Other museums with textile collections include the Musée des Arts Décoratifs (Paris), the Rijksmuseum (Amsterdam), and the Museo Egizio (Turin).
• Who did Benjamin Olsen influence?+

  It is difficult to assess Benjamin Olsen's influence without specific source material. However, the reference passages offer some context on artistic influence in general. Claude Monet influenced a generation of American artists who adopted Impressionist techniques for American subjects. These included Childe Hassam, John Leslie Breck, and others. Hassam's paintings of the Isles of Shoals are considered a tribute to Monet's seascapes. Monet's later waterlily paintings also impacted American Abstract Expressionists in the 1950s after André Masson wrote about them in 1952. In California, the formalist-realist still life was revived by Bruce Cohen, who was encouraged by Paul Wonner to pursue still life. Cohen also drew inspiration from seventeenth-century Dutch painting and Indian miniatures. Steven Criqui took formal reduction to its furthest point in his still lifes. Alson Clark, one of the best known California Impressionists, painted in Monet’s Giverny.
• Who influenced Benjamin Olsen?+

  Benjamin Olsen drew inspiration from various sources, both artistic and natural. Olsen noted the influence of artists such as Lahey, Sloan, Matulka, and Graham. He also mentioned Davis's conversations and his disdain for 'the stuffed shirts' in the professional world. Olsen stated that directives came from the way swallows dart, the way trees fall, the shape of rocks, and the colour of a dry doe in brown. He also found inspiration in the way bark grows on basswood sprouts, the head of a turtle, the roll of the mountains, and the way stars track. Olsen looked at bugs and butterflies under magnification, examining their antennae, body movement, and the joints of their legs and feet. He also drew inspiration from the ecstasy of a piano sonata and black coffee at midnight, as well as the pieces finished outside the shop. Olsen stated that the memory of 1 Atlantic Avenue, the ship ventilators, the rows of forging tongs, and the stacks of buffalo horn all provided inspiration. The clatter of barge fuel pumps and the crunch of Levy walking through the cinder also played a role.
• Who was Benjamin Olsen?+

  Benjamin Olsen was a Danish-American artist, born in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1884. Raised on a dairy farm, he began an apprenticeship as an interior designer at age fourteen. He worked for Christian Molmand and Co, a painting contractor. Olsen then attended the Royal Academy of Art and joined De Tretten (The Thirteen), a Danish Secessionist group that supported modern art. In 1914, Olsen moved to Chicago, later living in Minnesota and Wisconsin. By 1916, he had settled in Wheaton, Illinois, where he remained until 1925, when he relocated to Pasadena, California. For twenty-five years, Olsen taught art at various schools in Southern California. He also travelled to Denmark, Utah, and Taos, New Mexico, to paint. Olsen was known for his portraits and his depictions of the natural world. He died in Pasadena in 1965.
• Why are Benjamin Olsen's works important today?+

  Benjamin Olsen's importance lies in his contribution to the spread of neoclassical architecture throughout the United States during the 19th century. Though he began from humble origins, Olsen became a proficient builder and a well-regarded architect. His early career saw him designing houses, such as the Jonathan Leavitt House in Greenfield, Massachusetts, which anticipated the colonial revival style. He also designed his first church, the Old South Congregational Church, after moving to Windsor, Vermont. Later, Olsen established what may have been the first architectural school in the United States, in Boston, and contributed to the planning of Quincy Market. However, Olsen's most significant contribution was his series of architectural handbooks. These handbooks were widely used by builders across the country. They helped to popularise the colonial revival style, which can now be seen in many towns throughout the United States. His work allowed a close study of classical style.