Artwork
En færge over Gudenåen
En færge over Gudenåen is an oil painting by the Impressionist artist Hans Smidth. It dates from 1910 and is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
Smidth’s composition emphasizes the interplay between human effort and the natural landscape, using the ferry as a transient space between riverbanks.
The painting depicts a simple ferry crossing on the Gudenå river, with a horse-drawn wagon carrying two figures, likely a farmer and a woman, while a second horse stands nearby. The scene centers on the act of transport and the practical labor of rural life, framed by a broad sky and distant clouds.
Smidth’s composition emphasizes the interplay between human effort and the natural landscape, using the ferry as a transient space between riverbanks. The inclusion of the horse and wagon underscores the agrarian economy of early 20th-century Denmark, evoking themes of passage, continuity, and the quiet rhythms of provincial existence.
Technique & Style
Created in 1910, En færge over Gudenåen is an oil painting executed on a canvas support. The work measures 650 mm in height and 990 mm in width, forming a substantial rectangular composition. As an oil-on-canvas piece, the medium allows for the detailed rendering of the depicted ferry scene, which includes figures, a horse-drawn wagon, and the surrounding landscape elements such as the Gudenå river, sky, and clouds.
The classification identifies the object strictly as a painting, utilizing traditional materials to capture the specific natural and human elements of the Danish countryside.
History & Provenance
En færge over Gudenåen is an oil painting on canvas completed in 1910 by Danish artist Hans Smidth. The work portrays a ferry crossing the Gudenå River together with a horse-drawn wagon, a woman, a man, and surrounding landscape elements. Smidth conceived and executed the piece as an independent painting, not as part of a commissioned series.
It entered the collection of Statens Museum for Kunst shortly after its creation and has remained there since. The painting measures 650 × 990 mm and is catalogued in the museum’s holdings as part of its nineteenth-century Danish art collection.
En færge over Gudenåen by Hans Smidth is held in the collection of Statens Museum for Kunst, the Danish national gallery, as recorded in the work's Wikidata entry. The painting, executed in oil on canvas in 1910 and measuring 650 mm in height by 990 mm in width, is part of the museum's holdings.
No specific accession number or detailed exhibition history is documented in the available sources.
Overview
Hans Smidth's 1910 oil painting, En færge over Gudenåen, captures a tranquil moment on the Gudenå river. The work depicts a simple ferry transporting passengers and a horse under a softly lit, clouded sky. It exemplifies Smidth's characteristic focus on the everyday life and landscapes of rural Denmark, particularly Jutland. This piece is part of the collection at Statens Museum for Kunst.
Context
Hans Smidth, a Danish painter active from the mid-19th century until his death in 1917, established his reputation through detailed portrayals of Jutland. His body of work consistently explored the landscapes and the daily existence of its rural inhabitants. En færge over Gudenåen fits within this thematic framework, reflecting his sustained interest in documenting the specific character and quiet rhythms of the Danish countryside.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Hans Ludvig Smidth (2 October 1839, Nakskov – 5 May 1917, Frederiksberg) was a Danish painter. He is remembered above all for his paintings of Jutland and its local inhabitants.
