Artwork
En amagerkone
En amagerkone is an oil painting by the Realist artist Julius Exner. It dates from 1852 and is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst.
About this work
Overview
Julius Exner’s 1852 oil painting *En amagerkone* portrays a solitary woman seated in a dim interior. The figure is dressed in a red head covering, a dark blouse with orange accents, and a blue skirt, her hands folded in her lap. A white bowl rests on a nearby table and a wicker basket sits on a stool, framing the quiet domestic scene.
Subject & Meaning
The work captures an unnamed woman from Amager, the island just south of Copenhagen, engaged in a moment of stillness. Her gaze is lowered and her features are softened, suggesting contemplation or resignation. The muted palette and restrained composition convey a somber mood, reflecting everyday life among the island’s working‑class residents during the mid‑19th century.
Technique & Style
Exner employs a realistic approach characteristic of Danish genre painting in the National Romantic era. The oil medium allows subtle modeling of flesh and fabric, while the dark background heightens the contrast with the brighter reds and blues of the clothing. Loose brushwork in the background recedes, keeping focus on the figure’s introspective pose.
History & Provenance
Born in 1825 to a Czech musician father and a Danish mother, Exner was active during Denmark’s National Romantic period, following the country’s Golden Age of painting. *En amagerkone* entered the collection of Statens Museum for Kunst, Denmark’s national gallery, where it remains on display as an example of mid‑19th‑century genre art.
Artist & collection
Artist
Johan Julius Exner, (30 November 1825 – 15 November 1910), Danish genre painter, was born in Copenhagen to Johann Gottlieb Exner, a Czech musician from Bohemia, who came to Denmark during the Napoleonic period, and his wife Karen…
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En amagerkone