Biography from Roughton Galleries,Inc:
| Johann Berthelsen (1883-1972)
Johann Berthelsen painted exquisitely rendered landscapes of New York City, judged ''poetic'' by contemporary critics. Ironically though, it was music not art, to which Berthelsen originally aspired to.
A native of Copenhagen, Denmark, Berthelsen was six when his family immigrated to the United States in 1889. When he was 18, Berthelsen studied music and voice for four years at the Chicago Musical College. Following this graduation, he toured the United Slates and Canada as lead baritone for the Grand Opera Company, after which he taught voice, first at his alma mater and then at the Indianapolis Conservatory or Music. In 1920, Berthelsen opened a private studio in New York City where he gave voice lessons.
Although he devoted most of his time to singing and music, Berthelsen painted first for his own pleasure and then, after 1932, on a full-time basis. Berthelsen initially established his artistic reputation with his work in pastels. Working with small canvases, he found inspiration in New York's Central Park, rendering this subject most effectively in its seasonal transformations.
He painted similar scenes in and of Chicago, and they also met with critical and popular acclaim. Having achieved success as a pastelist, Berthelsen turned his attention to oils. He returned to the fundamentals of drawing in order to discover a technique appropriate to the medium. Berthelsen used a heavy impasto to almost palpably render his landscapes and his city and park snowscapes. Berthelsen also painted still-lives. Unlike his landscapes, these works again on small canvases-are clearly defined, with his colors ranging from bright to low key.
Berthelsen died in 1972. |
Biography from Butler Institute of American Art:
| Johann Berthelsen was born in Copenhagen, Denmark on July 25, 1883. He was a member of the Salmagundi Club, the American Watercolor Society, and the Allied Artists of America. He exhibited widely and was the recipient of numerous awards including the Erskine Prize in 1928 in Chicago and in 1946, in Indianapolis, the Holcombe Prize.
Known for his scenes of city streets in New York, he usually did paintings in pairs and is best known for his New York winter scenes. |
Biography from AskART:
| The following is from Harrie Grondijs who credits http://www.sothebys.com> )
Johann Berthelsen
1883 - 1972
A native of Copenhagen, Denmark, Berthelsen immigrated to the United States in 1889. He studied music and voice at the Chicago Musical College and toured as a lead baritone for the Grand Opera Company. He gave voice lessons in his private studio and at the Indianapolis Conservatory.
It was only in 1932 that he started painting on a full-time basis, first in pastels and later in oils. New York's Central Park was his main source of inspiration, although he also painted small and colorful still lives.
Note from Carole Laverty, grand daughter of the artist:
Johann Berthelsen died April 3,1972.
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