25 Facts About Kristian Zahrtmann

Peder Henrik Kristian Zahrtmann, known as Kristian Zahrtmann, was a Danish painter.

Kristian Zahrtmann produced works of many other genres including landscapes, street scenes, folk scenes and portraits.

Kristian Zahrtmann had a far-reaching effect on the development of Danish art through his effective support of individual style among his students during the many years he taught.

Kristian Zahrtmann was the eldest child among seven boys and two girls.

Kristian Zahrtmann was often a guest at the home of the Academy's Director, poet Bernhard Severin Ingemann and his wife, where he had the chance to socialize with teachers of the school and other guests, such as Hans Christian Andersen.

Kristian Zahrtmann graduated from the Academy in 1868, and exhibited for the first time at Charlottenborg the following year with "En Konfirmandinde paa Bornholm".

Kristian Zahrtmann had already become interested in the story of the heroic 17th century daughter of a Danish king, Leonora Christina Ulfeldt, before the 1869 posthumous publication of her 1674 autobiographical narrative Jammers Minde, which he received as a birthday gift from Haslund and Krohn.

Kristian Zahrtmann was then imprisoned for 22 years in the Blue Tower in Copenhagen Castle, and spent her final years in the solitude of the Maribo Cloister.

Kristian Zahrtmann commemorated her story in a series of 18 large paintings over many years.

Characteristically for Kristian Zahrtmann, he made several other paintings over the years depicting the story of these figures.

Kristian Zahrtmann tried to extract a travel stipend from the Academy three times, which should have been due him as winner of the large gold medal, but the funds were not forthcoming until two years later.

Kristian Zahrtmann finally traveled to Italy in December 1875 with financing from his father, before he received a travel grant from the Academy.

Kristian Zahrtmann was fascinated by everyday life there, by the strong Italian sun, the vivid colors, and the exotic splendor of Roman Catholic Church rites which he depicted in many paintings.

In June 1883, Kristian Zahrtmann traveled for the first time to Civita d'Antino, a mountain town he came to consider his second home.

Kristian Zahrtmann was named an honorary citizen of the town in 1902.

Kristian Zahrtmann traveled to Greece several times, as well as to France and Portugal.

Kristian Zahrtmann exhibited at the World's Exhibition in Paris in 1878,1889, and 1900, and in Chicago in 1893.

Kristian Zahrtmann won a bronze medallion at the World Exhibition in Paris 1900.

Kristian Zahrtmann had some 200 students from the Scandinavian countries.

Kristian Zahrtmann helped establish the "Free Exhibition", an alternative exhibition space, which opened in 1891.

Late in life, Kristian Zahrtmann produced a number of paintings of nude men, including Prometheus, Sokrates og Alkibiades, and Adam i Paradis.

Kristian Zahrtmann never married, and in Copenhagen he was rumored to enjoy crossdressing.

Kristian Zahrtmann painted a number of self-portraits in his later years, including one painted in 1913 that is considered one of his finest works.

Kristian Zahrtmann bought land on Fuglebakken in Frederiksberg and built a house, which was designed by Hans Koch and Kristian Zahrtmann himself.

Kristian Zahrtmann called the house "Casa d'Antino" and moved in autumn 1912.