Artwork
Portrait of the Artist. Lamplight
Portrait of the Artist. Lamplight is an oil painting by the Symbolist artist Niels Larsen Stevns. It dates from 1919 and is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst. Portrait of the Artist.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The painting depicts the artist himself as its main subject, making the work a personal statement of self-presentation rather than a commissioned likeness.
Portrait of the Artist. Lamplight is a self-portrait by the Danish painter Niels Larsen Stevns, executed in 1919. The painting depicts the artist himself as its main subject, making the work a personal statement of self-presentation rather than a commissioned likeness.
The title's reference to lamplight signals an intimate, interior setting, a common device in self-portraiture for conveying introspection and the private atmosphere of the studio. By portraying himself under such lighting, Stevns emphasizes the act of the artist observing and recording himself, a theme central to the self-portrait tradition.
Held by the Statens Museum for Kunst, the work functions both as a record of the artist's appearance and as a symbolic image of creative identity, with the warm, focused illumination suggesting the inner concentration required of the painter at work.
Technique & Style
Portrait of the Artist. Lamplight is executed in oil paint on a plywood support, a combination that aligns with the modest, intimate scale of the work. The panel measures 62.5 cm in height by 47 cm in width, providing a compact, upright format suited to a self-portrait.
The painting is classified as a portrait painting and is held by the Statens Museum for Kunst. The use of plywood rather than canvas reflects a practical, early twentieth-century Scandinavian approach, while the oil medium allowed for the controlled tonal modeling required to render the lamplight effect. No condition report or specific stylistic analysis is documented in the available sources.
No condition report or specific stylistic analysis is documented in the available sources.
History & Provenance
Portrait of the Artist. Lamplight was created in 1919 by the Danish painter Niels Larsen Stevns, who depicts himself in the work. Executed in oil paint on plywood, the painting measures 62.5 cm by 47 cm. According to the museum’s records, the work entered the collection of Statens Museum for Kunst, where it remains.
The sources do not record any specific commission or earlier owners prior to its acquisition by the museum.
Overview
Portrait of the Artist. Lamplight is a 1919 self-portrait by Danish artist Niels Larsen Stevns, executed on plywood. The piece exemplifies Symbolist tendencies, characterized by expressive, emotive representation.
Context
Emerging from Stevns' training at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts and his background as a journeyman, this work reflects the intersection of traditional craft and early 20th-century Symbolist influences.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Niels Larsen Stevns (9 July 1864 – 27 September 1941) was a Danish painter and sculptor.
