Erik Ludwig Henningsen (Danish 1855-1930)
Apple Thieves
oil on canvas, signed and dated lower left "Erik Henningsen 1909"
Provenance:
Exhibited Danish Royal Academy 1910, no. 191
Erik Henningsen's skill at illustration and painting children shines here - the scene is full of movement and energy. We see a group of young children pilfering apples from an apple tree - in the background can be seen the farmer who is angrily shaking her fist at the youngsters to move along. The children are in the process of fleeing - madly scrambling over the fence and running away from her wrath. In the foreground a young boy is prodded by his concerned older sister to move along, but he is too engrossed in the apple he is eating and hungrily clutches two more to take with him. The scene is full of animation and energy - the detail is wonderful with the movement of the children, apple tree laden with ripe fruit and the background setting with the farm and sunset in the distance.
Erik Ludvig Henningsen was a Danish painter and illustrator known for his genre and social realist works depicting children and the working class. He was born in Copenhagen in 1885 and was the younger brother of Frants Henningsen, also an accomplished painter. In his adolescence Erik displayed great artistic talent and was accepted into the Royal Danish Academy in 1873 at the age of 18, graduating in 1877. He traveled widely throughout Europe and won numerous awards, exhibiting in Copenhagen, Vienna and Paris. Henningsen became focused on city life in Copenhagen, and during the first two decades of the 20th century his work concentrated on genre scenes and historical work. He was also an illustrator for books and magazines, perhaps his most iconic work being is his poster “The Thirsty Man” (1900) for Tuborg Brewery. He is represented in institutions including the Hirschsprung Collection, Copenhagen Museum and Stockholm Museum.
Size: 24.5 h x 21 w (with frame 33 h x 29.5 w)
J21482