Aksel Jørgensen

Aksel Jørgensen ((3 February 1883 – 9 June 1957) was a Danish painter and wood engraver. He is also remembered for his years as a professor at the Royal Danish Academy where he instructed many of Denmark's most successful illustrators.

Biography

Aksel Jørgensen was born in Copenhagen, Denmark. Jørgensen attended Frede Aamodt's private art school (1905–06) where he met Carl Jensen and Vilhelm Wils. He debuted in 1908 at the Kunstnernes Efterårsudstilling. He exhibited with De Tretten in 1909, presenting his preferred subjects of prostitutes and the destitute living in condemned buildings in the poorest quarters of Copenhagen, attracting the attention of the press. He was also noted for his engravings, characterized by large areas of light and shade and by his use of the grain of the wood, as in his portrait of the writer Jens Pedersen (1908). Together with Storm P., he founded the satirical journal Gnisten (1908), contributing his own sketches.

From 1909 to 1914, Jørgensen worked on a large series of works illustrating Holger Drachmann's life and poetry for the Drachmann Inn in Frederiksberg. He produced no less than 29 woodcuts during the period, some with multilayered colouring. The art collector Christian Tetzen-Lund commissioned a large group of his works, now characterized by both Rembrandt and, increasingly, Impressionism, inspired by his experience of Cézanne's. work during his travels in 1910. From 1920, he concentrated on composition and perspective, developing the use of colour for still-lifes and figure paintings. Important series included works for the student dormitory Studentergården (1921–23), the cinema Vesterbros Bio (1942) and Arbejdermuseet (1955). His most extensive project consisted of some 50 illustrations for Adam Oehlenschläger's Nordens Guder, published in 1929. It took him many years to engrave the woodcuts and several of his pupils were involved in the technical work. The work had a mixed reception but he was complemented by the French pointillist Paul Signac. He also completed a wide range of portraits including that of the politician Frederik Borgbjerg (1949). In 1935, he became a member of Den Frie Udstilling, an alternative exhibition forum.

Teaching career

Aksel Jørgensen's talents as a teacher were unknown when he was offered a post as professor at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in 1920 which he retained until 1953. He encouraged his students to take account of trends across Europe, insisting on the importance of lines and geometrical figures. Special attention was given to composition and perspective based on the careful study of nature. He also organized travelling exhibitions for Danish schools.

He became a Knight of the Order of the Dannebrog in 1926 and Commander of the 2nd degree in 1943. In 1941, he was awarded the Thorvaldsen Medal for his Prostitution. He died in Copenhagen and was buried in Sorgenfri Cemetery.

Assessment

Jørgensen played an important role in developing the status of graphical work in Denmark. It was he who took the initiative to integrate the graphics school as part of the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts and it was his work there which attracted important illustrators such as Henry Heerup, Richard Mortensen, Ib Spang Olsen, and many others. His graphical work is notable both technically and artistically.

Literature

• Andersen, Troels; Jørgensen, Aksel (2002). Aksel Jørgensen: liv og kunst (in Danish). Borgen. ISBN 978-87-21-02026-2.