Soren Emil Carlsen (October 19, 1853 – January 2, 1932, New York City, U.S.)

Soren Emil Carlsen (October 19, 1853 – January 2, 1932, New York City, U.S.)

Published by Therese Myles on 8th Nov 2019

Born in 1853 in Denmark, Soren Emil Carlsen was thought of as a gifted still life painter. Prior to his immigration to Chicago in 1872, he studied architecture. After arriving in Chicago, he worked with Laurits Bernhard Holst, a marine painter, before traveling to Paris to study for six months. Upon his return to America he had developed a simplified, yet moody style of still life painting that including a limited color palette and interesting textures. Most of his paintings centered on fish and game that had recently passed away, common household objects, and floral arrangements such as Blue and White Jar (1910).

His fish and game still lives are considered to be some of his best works due to the unique details they possessed. Although the arrangement in these paintings, such as Still Life (The White Rooster) (1892), appear to have done without much thought, they were actually very well planned. In addition, he was able to paint perfectly rendered fluffy feathers on game fowl and glistening scales on fish that appeared lifelike. His moody, yet relaxed paintings often inspired a sense of tranquility in anyone who viewed them. He passed away in 1932. 

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