The early years and the National Gallery

Axel Bentzen spent his boyhood in the halls of the National Gallery of Denmark. There, among the presence of old masters, he began to copy their works. This early habit of looking closely at existing canvases shaped how he would later approach his own subjects. He grew up with a familiarity for museums and exhibitions that became the foundation of his practice.

By 1922, he began to show his own work in censored exhibitions. His early paintings leaned toward naturalism, though he was already looking toward new ways of seeing. The colors in these first pieces were often subdued, lacking the intensity found in his later years. He moved through the art community with a quiet focus on form and color.

A shift in color and form

Around 1920, a change occurred in how he applied paint to the canvas. His palette grew more saturated, utilizing contrasting tones and broad, impasto strokes. He began to embrace a modern simplification of form, drawing inspiration from the way Matisse used black as a tone color or how Giersing approached landscapes. In works like Egyptian Woman on a Balcony, one can see this shift toward a more impressionistic influence.

His work often balanced a connection to nature with the experimentation of modern movements. He explored elements of Cubism and Futurism, particularly in how he structured his compositions. In Young Italian Woman on a Chair, the use of a rhythmic zigzag form and a surprising placement of the figure creates a sense of spatial clarity. By the end of the 1920s, his style became even more tightened, with large areas of color applied in a way that felt almost bricked up.

Subjects of the Danish landscape and city

Bentzen’s eyes often rested on the familiar sights of Copenhagen and the surrounding countryside. He painted parks, roads, and trees, capturing the movement within urban environments. A recurring theme in his work is the view from his Valby apartment. He used the window frame as a structural device, a way to lead the eye from the interior into the outdoors. This allowed him to play with the light of sunspots and the intense blues and yellows of potted plants.

His range of subjects included:

• Landscapes and parks featuring roads and trees
• Urban environments and Copenhagen city scenes
• Portraits and figure paintings, such as The Convalescent and Jolanda
• Interiors and views from his apartment in Valby

Some of his paintings, particularly those created after a period of serious illness like Hospitalshaven or The Dreamer, carry a certain nervous sensitivity. Even in his more mature expressionistic works, such as his depictions of Copenhagen parks, there is a precise placement of figures and deep blue shadows that makes the scenes feel present.