Juuel, Andreas Thomas (1816-1868), Summer Landscape with Tall Deciduous Trees by a Lake

Andreas Thomas Juuel(1816 Copenhagen - 1868 Copenhagen). Summer landscape with tall deciduous trees by a lake. Oil on canvas, 54,5 x 42 cm (visible size), 71 x 58 cm (frame), signed lower right "A. Juuel". Elegantly profiled gold frame.

- Eternal summer silence over an abysmal lake -

The picture shows a group of delicate deciduous trees against a pale blue, whitish sky. The bright surface of the sky contrasts with the equally unclouded dark surface of the pond, onto which the group of trees opens like a portal. The foreground and background are brought together by a similar summary treatment. They form a continuity of alternating shades of brown and green, within which the detailed group of trees in the middle ground stands out as the protagonist of the picture, appearing both close and distant, challenging the viewer to delve into the details. And indeed, the close-up view reveals hitherto unnoticed phenomena - such as the play of light on the trunks of the trees, which are at the same inconspicuous level as the grasses in the foreground, which are only hinted at, or the light breaking through the dark green wall of the grove in the background.
The eye of the beholder is constantly immersed in the natural phenomena of the landscape, and the whole representation is supported by the delicate, sensitive aura of a translucent painting, which holds the secret of the dark lake and the over-blue sky.

About the artist

In 1832 Andreas Thomas Juuel began an apprenticeship at the Royal Porcelain Manufactory in Copenhagen under G. Hetsch and at the same time attended the Academy of Arts. In 1853 he joined the porcelain factory Bing and Gröndahl, of which he became director in 1857. In 1862 he was awarded the Gold Medal of Merit, not least for his artistic commitment to the manufactory. A highlight of his work as a porcelain painter is the magnificent service for the Danish King Frederik VII from 1861, which is now on display at Bergen Museum.
In addition to his work for the porcelain manufactory, Juuel also worked as a freelance painter and participated in the Academy's annual exhibitions from 1836 to 1855. In 1847 he won the Neuhausen Prize with his painting 'Stormy Autumn Day', which he had already won twice as a porcelain painter: in 1843 for a portrait of the preacher Jens Hornsyld and in 1845 for a landscape after Louis Gurlitt.
Gifted in both disciplines, Juuel combined high art with porcelain painting, which for the porcelain art was reflected in the adaptation of English landscape painting, while Juuel's landscape paintings in particular benefited from the delicate translucent effect of porcelain painting. In Juuel's watercolours, which he made as transparencies for backlighting, the effect of colour was intensified by an inherent luminescence.