Harald Giersing

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Harald Giersing (April 24, 1881 – January 15, 1927) was a Danish painter and a key figure in the early Danish modernism movement around 1910–1920. He is remembered for his influential portraits and landscapes and for helping shape 20th‑century Danish art. Giersing died at 45, after a career driven by a search for change and beauty. When religion failed to give him a sense of meaning, he embraced modernism as a way to fill that void.

In Paris in 1906 he was drawn to many artists and styles. Gauguin impressed him first, but within a year Édouard Manet became his ideal, followed by Cézanne and the neo‑impressionist Signac. By 1907 he was exploring Fauvist painters and, later, the Cubists. This mix of influences helped him form his own approach: paint what he saw, aiming for a direct, almost photographic impression rather than idealized scenes. He developed a heavy, rough style with bold colors, partly inspired by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner.

Giersing’s early notable work includes The Judgment of Paris (1909). After focusing on portraits and female figures, he moved toward forest scenes from around 1912, developing a freer, more spontaneous look with a palette knife. He also painted open landscapes, especially the Furesø series starting in 1918. He pursued dynamic subjects too, painting football scenes and ballet, often starting from photographs; some figures appear faceless or masked.

In 1914 he helped form the Grønningen artists’ group, taking a leading role and supporting new Danish art. He contributed to the early periodical Klingen and encouraged younger artists to push forward with their ideas. In 1917 he married his student Besse Syberg, who became his favored model. They spent summers at Svanninge in Funen, where he painted about 40 pictures of the landscape, including churchyard views.

The 1920s brought fewer successes. At the 1922 Grønningen show in Copenhagen, he presented mostly black and grey works such as Three Ladies in Black, which drew positive reviews. Later years saw him return to brighter still lifes. Harald Giersing died of pneumonia in Copenhagen on January 15, 1927.