Gustav Vermehren, Study of a Girl Knitting, Oil Painting

1900 - 1920

Sold by Brave Fine Art

Description

A beautiful early 20th-century study of a demure young lady knitting by Danish artist, Gustav Vermehren (1863-1931). She’s lost in a world of her own and transfixed by the task at hand.

Vermehren was born into a creative family and destined to become an artist. His father, Frederik (1823-1910) was an accomplished painter - well admired for his idealised rural scenes that romanticised the working classes. As a child, Gustav would’ve been taught to draw by his father which surely provided the catalyst for his formal education.

It’s interesting to note that throughout his career he stayed true to his father’s style. When confronted with the new freer approach of the French impressionists, he rejected it despite frequent accusations of being old fashioned.

As you can imagine, during the later part of the 19th-century, it became fashionable to adopt a looser brushstroke and flood your canvases with light. Yet Gustav, along with his brother Sophus (1866-1950), remained steadfast to their father’s ideals.

The painting is signed/dated in the lower right and housed within a frame that’s possibly the original.

Medium: Oil on canvas

Overall size: 19½” x 26” / 50cm x 66cm

Year of creation: 1922

Provenance: Denmark

Condition: Very presentable. A few light scratches and a small pinhole in the top right but otherwise fine. Frame with some age-related wear.

Artist’s auction highlight: £10,900 achieved for ‘Distracted’ (52cm x 74cm) at Christie’s in 1990.

Physical Dimensions

Height

66cm (25.98")

Width

50cm (19.69")

Depth

4cm (1.57")

Declaration

Brave Fine Art has dated this piece to the 1920s.

Reference Numbers

Sellingantiques Reference

SA748148

Description

A beautiful early 20th-century study of a demure young lady knitting by Danish artist, Gustav Vermehren (1863-1931). She’s lost in a world of her own and transfixed by the task at hand.

Vermehren was born into a creative family and destined to become an artist.

“

His father, Frederik (1823-1910) was an accomplished painter - well admired for his idealised rural scenes that romanticised the working classes.

Brave Fine Art

As a child, Gustav would’ve been taught to draw by his father which surely provided the catalyst for his formal education.

fig 1. Gustav Vermehren, Study Of A Girl Knitting, Oil Painting — fig 1. Gustav Vermehren, Study of a Girl Knitting, Oil Painting

It’s interesting to note that throughout his career he stayed true to his father’s style. When confronted with the new freer approach of the French impressionists, he rejected it despite frequent accusations of being old fashioned.

fig 2. Gustav Vermehren, Study Of A Girl Knitting, Oil Painting — fig 2. Gustav Vermehren, Study of a Girl Knitting, Oil Painting

As you can imagine, during the later part of the 19th-century, it became fashionable to adopt a looser brushstroke and flood your canvases with light. Yet Gustav, along with his brother Sophus (1866-1950), remained steadfast to their father’s ideals.