Carl Holsoe

Carl Vilhelm Holsøe was born in Lyngbye near Arhus in Denmark. He studied at the Royal Academy in Copenhagen between 1882-1884, and later at the Kunstnernes Studieskole under Peder Severin Krøyer, the most influential Danish artist of his generation. Much like his friend Vilhelm Hammershøi, who he met at the Kunstnernes Studieskole, Holsøe is most admired for his depictions of tranquil interiors, which convey a calm and personal moment. Like Hammershøi, Holsøe frequently used his wife as muse and model. She is often depicted with her back to the picture plane but in this work the room is void of her presence. The softly lit room bears witness to someone who has just left it. A candle is burning in the window, the light reflecting in the window panes and filtering through the thin curtains. While Hammershøi and Holsøe depicted similar subjects in their paintings, Holsøe avoids the symbolic overtones found in Hammershøi’s work in favor of scenes which emphasize the simple and narrative beauty of an intensely personal moment in a softly-lit room.