Poetic Views of Nature: Realistic Landscapes by Peder Mørk Mønsted

Peder Mørk Mønsted (10 December 1859 – 20 June 1941) was a Danish realist painter. He is best known for his landscape paintings. He began painting from an early age and attended the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts from 1875 to 1879. Born at the end of the “ Golden Age” of Danish painting (from around 1800 to 1860), Peder Mønsted established his reputation primarily as a naturalist landscape artist—especially admired for his poetic point of view. His landscapes are incredibly detailed, yet do not appear to be overworked. This is not easy to achieve. Many realist paintings just appear too refined and have lost that painterly feel. In my opinion, a great painting should still look like a painting, not a photograph. His first artistic training was at the Prince Ferdinand School of Art in Aarhus, Denmark where he studied with the landscape painter Andreas Fritz, who influenced the young artist’s development. Mønsted then entered the Copenhagen Academy in 1875, but he left in 1879 without taki