Thomas Kluge's Painting of the Danish Royal Family (2013)


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Muhler

Muhler

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Summary of article in Billed Bladet #46, 2013.
Hele Danmarks farmor - (Paternal) grandmother of the whole of Denmark.
Written by Annelise Weimann.

The new portrait depicting the DRF will be unveiled tomorrow Friday.

At the same time a book about the painting has been published and in here QMII talks about posing and I think it says a lot about her character and mindset.

The painting will hang at Fredensborg.

When she is posing: "When I'm photographed I do like that it looks a bit nice and you do know that you have days where you look dreadful. If I am to be portraied I at least make such an effort that I get my hair combed. And then (I) count on the artist making sure between the seances to make sure that I don't look like I've been dragged backwards trhough a hedge with thorns, even though my hair hasn't been the right place one of the days I've been sitting as a model. You can't stand looking at it if you look like a birdsnest". QMII laughs.

In this painting, also done by the painter Kluge, who has painted the portrait of the DRF, QMII comments: "I look like I eat little children for breakfast". https://app.box.com/s/124e72ormem9trldw8vd

That painting does not camuflage QMII age and to that she says: "As royal I'm so fortunate not having to be concerned about the age, because everybody knows when your birthday is and how old you become. So that's fine, then you can just leave that alone.
And that's it. I've no ambitions about looking like I was 40 yesterday. In that case I have been 40 for a long time".
 
Muhler said:
Summary of article in Billed Bladet #46, 2013.
Hele Danmarks farmor - (Paternal) grandmother of the whole of Denmark.
Written by Annelise Weimann.

The new portrait depicting the DRF will be unveiled tomorrow Friday.

At the same time a book about the painting has been published and in here QMII talks about posing and I think it says a lot about her character and mindset.

The painting will hang at Fredensborg.

When she is posing: "When I'm photographed I do like that it looks a bit nice and you do know that you have days where you look dreadful. If I am to be portraied I at least make such an effort that I get my hair combed. And then (I) count on the artist making sure between the seances to make sure that I don't look like I've been dragged backwards trhough a hedge with thorns, even though my hair hasn't been the right place one of the days I've been sitting as a model. You can't stand looking at it if you look like a birdsnest". QMII laughs.

In this painting, also done by the painter Kluge, who has painted the portrait of the DRF, QMII comments: "I look like I eat little children for breakfast". https://app.box.com/s/124e72ormem9trldw8vd

That painting does not camuflage QMII age and to that she says: "As royal I'm so fortunate not having to be concerned about the age, because everybody knows when your birthday is and how old you become. So that's fine, then you can just leave that alone.
And that's it. I've no ambitions about looking like I was 40 yesterday. In that case I have been 40 for a long time".
Click to expand...

is this the portrait with the whole family? how nice

I highlighted in Bold what the Queen said.
"I look like i eat children for breakfast" :ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:
this is why she is great.

The painting of the entire family
Nyt portræt af den kongelige familie - Kongehuset

its fun and nice
http://kongehuset.dk/Menu/materiale/billeder/kongehuset-af-kluge.img

I liked the detail of the Queen, Frederik and Christian being the only ones that look straight.
"In painting the royal family is developed in the past, present and future, while the balance between private and official at the same time, the picture is the story of a contemporary family and a piece of the history of Denmark.

The current and two future monarchs, H. M. Queen D.K.H. Crown Prince Frederik and Prince Christian, eye contact with us, while other family members are portrayed in his own universe - in thought and unprovoked the viewer. Children are playing with the exception of the upright and serious Christian prince, which seems aware of the future liability. "

For me the best painted ones are Frederik and Mary with the twins and Joachim's 3 boys. The Queen and Henrik are also nice and relaxed.
 
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Thanks Polyesco.

Here is a highres pic of the painting: http://www.bt.dk/sites/default/files-dk/node-images/970/6/6970020-hovedbilledet.jpg

And a BT article about the symbols in the painting: Se det nye kongelige maleri: Kan du spotte de skjulte symboler? - Royale | www.bt.dk

A gallery of the painting being unveiled: Se billederne: Her afslører de det royale familieportræt | www.bt.dk

The painting is 2.20 by 2.20 meters and it's commisioned on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the Glücksborg line getting on the throne. An anonymous wealthy person has paid. (My personal guess is Fritz Schur).

http://www.bt.dk/royale/se-alle-detaljerne-det-foerste-royale-familieportraet-i-over-100-aar#slide-3 M&F and children standing to the left of the painting with the ruins in the background symbolize that they are the urban part of the family.

http://www.bt.dk/royale/se-alle-detaljerne-det-foerste-royale-familieportraet-i-over-100-aar#slide-4 Joachim and our Marie standing to the right symbolize that they are the rural part of the family.

http://www.bt.dk/royale/se-alle-detaljerne-det-foerste-royale-familieportraet-i-over-100-aar#slide-5
Christian has ben placed to the front because he is tasked with continuing the dynasty.

http://www.bt.dk/royale/se-alle-detaljerne-det-foerste-royale-familieportraet-i-over-100-aar#slide-6
Only those who is a monarch or who are destined to become a monarch have eye contact with the viewer.

http://www.bt.dk/royale/se-alle-detaljerne-det-foerste-royale-familieportraet-i-over-100-aar#slide-7
The LEGO tower being build symbolize that the family was broken up and rebuild again.

http://www.bt.dk/royale/se-alle-detaljerne-det-foerste-royale-familieportraet-i-over-100-aar#slide-8
Marie looking down at Athena in a "madonna-like way" is simply to have some action in the background, because the main characters are Christian, QMII and Frederik.

http://www.bt.dk/royale/se-alle-detaljerne-det-foerste-royale-familieportraet-i-over-100-aar#slide-9
Mary's tender, motherly look at Vincent symbolize her being the future queen.

According to a tradition Kluge has put himself and his wife in the picture, pretty easy to spot.

Not sure what I think about it yet, there is plenty to look at.
 
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Horrible, horrible portrait. Looks like the Adams family or something. Little Christian seems to want to eat our soul...
 
Muhler said:
Thanks Polyesco.

Here is a highres pic of the painting: http://www.bt.dk/sites/default/files-dk/node-images/970/6/6970020-hovedbilledet.jpg

And a BT article about the symbols in the painting: Se det nye kongelige maleri: Kan du spotte de skjulte symboler? - Royale | www.bt.dk

A gallery of the painting being unveiled: Se billederne: Her afslører de det royale familieportræt | www.bt.dk

The painting is 2.20 by 2.20 meters and it's commisioned on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the Glücksborg line getting on the throne. An anonymous wealthy person has paid. (My personal guess is Fritz Schur).

Se alle detaljerne: Det første royale familieportræt i over 100 år | www.bt.dk M&F and children standing to the left of the painting with the ruins in the background symbolize that they are the urban part of the family.

Se alle detaljerne: Det første royale familieportræt i over 100 år | www.bt.dk Joachim and our Marie standing to the right symbolize that they are the rural part of the family.

Se alle detaljerne: Det første royale familieportræt i over 100 år | www.bt.dk
Christian has ben placed to the front because he is tasked with continuing the dynasty.

Se alle detaljerne: Det første royale familieportræt i over 100 år | www.bt.dk
Only those who is a monarch or who are destined to become a monarch have eye contact with the viewer.

Se alle detaljerne: Det første royale familieportræt i over 100 år | www.bt.dk
The LEGO tower being build symbolize that the family was broken up and rebuild again.

Se alle detaljerne: Det første royale familieportræt i over 100 år | www.bt.dk
Marie looking down at Athena in a "madonna-like way" is simply to have some action in the background, because the main characters are Christian, QMII and Frederik.

Se alle detaljerne: Det første royale familieportræt i over 100 år | www.bt.dk
Mary's tender, motherly look at Vincent symbolize her being the future queen.

According to a tradition Kluge has put himself and his wife in the picture, pretty easy to spot.

Not sure what I think about it yet, there is plenty to look at.
Click to expand...


thanks Muhler:flowers:
I love the symbolism in the painting.

And I love that they have all 14 members of the current royal family. I would like the other royal families to have similar paintings made of their current members :)
 
Oh, wow. To each their own, I guess, but I think this portrait is awful. It's disappointing that the great, (and no doubt never to be repeated), opportunity of having the entire family pose together resulted in… this.

The only person who looks remotely natural is Mary. Maybe Frederik. The rest of the adults look strange. He also managed to take a very attractive group of children and turn them into extras from The Walking Dead.

I also hate when artists load their paintings with pseudo intellectual symbolism, and then tell everyone about it. There's something to be said, especially with portraits that are going to become part of a nation's historical record, for just painting something that's straight forward and visually pleasing.
 
Marie in white, Mary in black. The big distance between Fred and Mary and Joachim and Marie. No interaction between the children except Felix and Nikolai. Isabella looks to be afraid of something. No joy, happiness or family unity in this painting at all. And Christian is only a child, why he and his role must be all the time emphasized?
 
I like the idea of having a painting of the whole family but am not too keen on this painting. Christian looks way too intense and seems to take over the painting but not in a good way.

There is no unity between the family members in the painting and so it makes it too disjointed to look at properly.
 
It is a very good idea to have the whole family painted together, but this is horrifying.
The way that most members of each family are far from each other, that most of the adults looks waaaaayyy much older than they are ( except for Mary ), how Christian is placed and how he looks in the portrait, how alone Isabella seems to be and all the symbolism in the portrait, I kind of get the feeling that they want to send us the message that this World Will End Very Soon, Be Careful.
 
The serious paper Jyllands Posten has a few more details: Fra den første skitse til færdigt maleri - Billedkunst - Kultur

The painting by Tuxen this new painting called "Kongehuset = the royal house = usually shortened here to the DRF" was inspired from: http://www.jyllands-posten.dk/pictures/article6172363.ece/ALTERNATES/h-free/Kongehus---LauritsTuxen_KongefamilienFredensborg_fotoThorkildJensenCIX_-%281%29.jpg

When Kluge decided to paint this he almost immediately had the basic composition in his head and four years later it was completed.

The adults posed for him a number of times. The children were painted after photos, but he met with the children a number of times, talked and played with them to get to know them and personality.

In one of the lower corners, hidden behind layers of paint, will be a little mystery for future art-researchers. In an unguarded moment one of Kluge's children made a little drawing on the canvas.

Kluges intention all the way through was to focus on the children.

QMII gave him free reins and never questioned anything he did.

Apart from Frederik, QMII and Christian, all the other members of the DRF are depicted immersed in their own thoughts as if being in their own universe.

Kluge started out with a composition of eleven people, but then three more children came to the world and he had to modify the painting a bit.

The painting will be exhibited at Amalienborg until early March, should you wish to see it for yourself. Then it will be moved permanently to Fredensborg Palace.

- Well, what do I think?
Would I like to have it on my wall, albeit in a smaller version? No.
Would I like to return to it and look at it from time to time? Yes, I do find it fascinating.
Would I like to have myself and my family depicted this way? Nah.
So based on the fact that I don't know about art, but I know what I like, this painting get a little thumbs down.
 
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Muhler said:
The serious paper Jyllands Posten has a few more details: Fra den første skitse til færdigt maleri - Billedkunst - Kultur

The painting by Tuxen this new painting called "Kongehuset = the royal house = usually shortened here to the DRF" was inspired from: http://www.jyllands-posten.dk/pictures/article6172363.ece/ALTERNATES/h-free/Kongehus---LauritsTuxen_KongefamilienFredensborg_fotoThorkildJensenCIX_-%281%29.jpg

When Kluge decided to paint this he almost immediately had the basic composition in his head and four years later it was completed.

The adults posed for him a number of times. The children were painted after photos, but he met with the children a number of times, talked and played with them to get to know them and personality.

In one of the lower corners, hidden behind layers of paint, will be a little mystery for future art-researchers. In an unguarded moment one of Kluge's children made a little drawing on the canvas.

Kluges intention all the way through was to focus on the children.

QMII gave him free reins and never questioned anything he did.

Apart from Frederik, QMII and Christian, all the other members of the DRF are depicted immersed in their own thoughts as if being in their own universe.

Kluge started out with a composition of eleven people, but then three more children came to the world and he had to modify the painting a bit.

The painting will be exhibited at Amalienborg until early March, should you wish to see it for yourself. Then it will be moved permanently to Fredensborg Palace.

- Well, what do I think?
Would I like to have it on my wall, albeit in a smaller version? No.
Would I like to return to it and look at it from time to time? Yes, I do find it fascinating.
Would I like to have myself and my family depicted this way? Nah.
So based on the fact that I don't know about art, but I know what I like, this painting get a little thumbs down.
Click to expand...


I don't like it,something very Halloween about it .I wonder how the Danes are reacting to this new painting?
 
I haven't formed an opinion of this painting yet; I have seen en exhibition of Kluge's paintings - and that was quite another experience than seeing them in pictures. His paintings were interesting, some of them very beautiful. So I think I'll have to wait with an absolute opinion.

Many negative comments are about the dark and sinister feel of the painting; but that's what Kluge does. As to the symbolism, everyone reads into it what they like and perhaps their usual opinion of the family ('separation' of the two brothers and their families'), etc.

First and foremost I find it absolutely MARVELLOUS that a painting of this nature is made in this day and age. So much focus today is on downplaying what is considered unnecessary and for some ostentatious display of luxurious royal life styles; but doing that we also - IMO - remove a lot of new cultural marvels to pass on to coming generations. We, not least in this forum, appreciate what former royal generations have left us in terms of castles, jewellery, paintings, etc.
I'm really thrilled that the fantastic tradition of royal paintings can be continued.

And I also believe that once people have gotten their Addams Family comparisons off their chests, they will appreciate the significance of such a painting :)


added - examples of previous paintings by Thomas Kluge:

http://www.b.dk/nationalt/se-kluges-tidligere-kendis-malerier
http://www.b.dk/nationalt/se-kluges-tidligere-kendis-malerier#slide-6
http://www.b.dk/nationalt/se-kluges-tidligere-kendis-malerier#slide-9
 
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It's interesting that its different in terms of colours but I don't like it at all. It's too dark, too dull and the placement of Frederik, Mary to Marie and Joachim seems way too far. The proportion of Christian compared too everyone else is weird and the fact that he is so up from is also weird. I don't get why Frederik & Mary are both in black against such a dark background.
 
Personally i love this painting - the black background brings real originality to the rather ossified genre of Royal portraiture.
 
I must be the only one who really loves this painting. I don’t mind the darker feeling to it and the artist shows immense skill. It’s like we are looking through a lens at a family scene and Chrsitian is looking straight into the camera back at us. I like it..

edit: Darn… Wyevale beat me to being the only one.. ;-)
 
wyevale said:
Personally i love this painting - the black background brings real originality to the rather ossified genre of Royal portraiture.
Click to expand...
I like the colours too. There was a close-up somewhere, and the black with the other colours was very striking. The darkness doesn't bother me at all.

PH and Marie are the ones who look least like themselves but most of the others are ok. Isabella was possibly painted a few years ago.

I don't understand why people get so hung up on the space between the two families ?:
The Regent couple in the middle, of course, and their two sons with their large families on both sides of them. Christian could perhaps have been sitting between the Regent couple rather than standing in front, but...
 
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If the intention had been for a nicely staged portrait in a mellow setting - take a photograph. This is a painting where the artist had free reins to create. Perhaps some day we will hear from the artist himself exactly why he did such a setting and coloring and why Christian is taking center stage. It is very unlikely there will be a monarchy when his time comes assuming the preceeding two regents will live long and healthy lives.
 
grevinnan said:
If the intention had been for a nicely staged portrait in a mellow setting - take a photograph. This is a painting where the artist had free reins to create. Perhaps some day we will hear from the artist himself exactly why he did such a setting and coloring and why Christian is taking center stage.
Click to expand...
There are already a couple of video clips (in Danish), where he comments on this. I will not attempt a translation.

From BB:
"- Børnene er foran, og de voksne er bagved for at fortælle om, at prins Christian er fanget imellem det at være voksen og barn på en gang - og de forpligtelser og de ting, vi tilllægger det, så det var egentlig for at se på Christians rolle som bærer af en arv, en stor historie, og hvordan man forener det med det barnlige - og derfor er der den alvor omkring ham, siger Thomas Kluge"

Judging from his previous work, he seems to have similar coloring in his most of his paintings.
 
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Nordic said:
There are already a couple of video clips (in Danish), where he comments on this. I will not attempt a translation.

From BB:
"- Børnene er foran, og de voksne er bagved for at fortælle om, at prins Christian er fanget imellem det at være voksen og barn på en gang - og de forpligtelser og de ting, vi tilllægger det, så det var egentlig for at se på Christians rolle som bærer af en arv, en stor historie, og hvordan man forener det med det barnlige - og derfor er der den alvor omkring ham, siger Thomas Kluge"

Judging from his previous work, he seems to have similar coloring in his most of his paintings.
Click to expand...

There is usually much more to an artist's inspiration than the very predictable answer he gave.
 
Princess Xenia said:
It is a very good idea to have the whole family painted together, but this is horrifying.
The way that most members of each family are far from each other, that most of the adults looks waaaaayyy much older than they are ( except for Mary ), how Christian is placed and how he looks in the portrait, how alone Isabella seems to be and all the symbolism in the portrait, I kind of get the feeling that they want to send us the message that this World Will End Very Soon, Be Careful.
Click to expand...
I get this same dark message of doom and gloom "end of the world" feeling. While the artistic talent and abilities of this painter are certainly not in question, the painting is too macabre.
 
Very strange painting. Technically good, and I suppose Christian is the focus because he is the future. But first thing I thought of when I saw him was he's Damien from "The Omen" and he's going to kill them all. :eek:
 
Wow. Yes, technically, this is wonderful. Psychologically powerful. And a reach - because it is not all all safe. But I'd love to see it in person. Wow.
 
At first glance I thought it was creepy. Technically he did Mary and Marie & Joachims children quite well. Poor little Christian looks like he has bags under his eyes. Isabella's right hand is too large and Frederik looks much older than he is. Also the soles of Isabella's shoes are too dramatically different colours instead of being closer in colour to each other taking into effect the lighting/light difference. I have always admired Tuxens painting its one of my favourites and this is no comparison.
Not a fan I'm afraid.
 
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