Johann Berthelsen oil painting New York City Streetscape II

Description: Johann Berthelsen (Danish/American, 1883-1972)untitled (New York Street at Dusk) oil on board, signed l.r., retains label on verso from 'The House of Heydenryk' visible image measures approximately: 8 5/8" W x 11 5/8" H frame measures approximately: 15 1/8" x 18 1/8" H Please note that shipping charges are inclusive of insurance, payment processing (if paying by check or cash, processing fee will be refunded) and carrier fees. If local pickup is selected and if applicable, payment processing fee will still be assessed and due. About Johann Berthelsen Johann Berthelsen was born in Copenhagen on July 25th, 1883. He emigrated with his parents to America at the age of seven. When he was eighteen years old, Berthelsen entered the Chicago Music College with a full scholarship to study voice. He remained there for four years, graduating in 1905 as a fully trained baritone. After graduation, Berthelsen joined a light opera company and began touring throughout the United States and Canada. He spent a long five years in the limelight of the theatre, until 1910, when he returned to his alma mater to join the faculty as a voice instructor. Berthelsen would remain in this position until 1913. The teaching position at the Chicago Music College allowed Berthelsen to pursue interests in the visual arts. At some point, Berthelsen came into contact with the Norwegian painter, Svend Rasmussen Svendsen who had immigrated to Chicago in 1881 and established a well respected career. It is likely that through Svendsen that Berthelsen was introduced to painting. When he relocated to Indianapolis in 1913 to accept a position as the head of the voice department at the Indianapolis Conservatory of Music, he began training under the Indiana-born artist Wayman Elbridge Adams, a portrait painter. In 1915, Berthelsen left his position at the Conservatory to open his own studio where he offered private voice lessons and produced student performances as well as appearing in his own concerts. In addition, Berthelsen became an active member of the Little Theater Society, where he often had a leading role. During his tenure in Indianapolis, Berthelsen and Adams became close friends, and in 1920, they decided to move to New York City to be part of the thriving arts community there. It was at this time that Berthelsen began painting his most recognizable images: those of New York City, with its steel skyscrapers and vibrant city life, shown with a sensitive rendering of changing environmental elements. After arriving in New York City in 1920, Berthelsen again opened his own studio where he gave voice lessons, but which also allowed him to continue painting. Both he and Adams had studios on West 57th street. Berthelsen experimented with several media during this period including pastel, watercolor and oil. Berthelsen faced the economic disaster of the 1929 stock market crash. Music students could no longer afford lessons, and performing jobs grew increasingly rare. Berthelsen turned increasingly to the sale of smaller format images, which he was able to sell for lower prices. Gradually, he began to build a reputation as an artist, and particularly as a painter of New York cityscapes. Berthelsen was also fortunate to participate in one of President Roosevelt’s New Deal art projects, the Municipal Art Committee in New York City. Together with eleven other artists, he exhibited at the Committee galleries at 62 West 53rd Street. In 1942, with a growing reputation as a painter, and some well known collectors such as William Randolph Hearst and Richard Berlin purchasing his work, Berthelsen moved his family to rural New Milford, Connecticut. The surrounding countryside provided subject matter for new paintings, and the quiet environment undoubtedly offered a congenial place to raise a family. After the end of World War II, the US economy returned to non-military production, and collectors began to purchase art again. Berthelsen’s sales increased and the family returned to New York City in 1950. The 1960s proved to be even more successful as sales continued to expand. As their children left for college, the Berthelsen's moved to an apartment on Sutton Place and then to Greenwich, Connecticut. Between 1943 and 1960, Berthelsen exhibited often in New York, Indianapolis, and Chicago. Throughout his career, he exhibited in Chicago at the Hoosier Salon and Thurbers Gallery; in Indianapolis at the Hoosier Salon; and in New York City at the American Watercolor Society, Barbizon-Plaza Galleries, Galleries of the Municipal Art Committee, Gatterdam Gallery, and Jean Bohne Gallery. He was additionally a member of the Allied Artists of America, American Watercolor Society, and Salmagundi Club. In 1971, while visiting New York City, the artist was hit by a passing car which brought about a rapid decline in his health. He continued to paint until death on Easter Sunday, 1972.

Price: 6500 USD

Location: Chicago, Illinois

End Time: 2024-11-09T18:02:13.000Z

Shipping Cost: N/A USD