L.A. Ring

Laurits Andersen Ring (15 August 1854 – 10 September 1933) was one of the foremost Danish painters of the turn of the 20th century, who pioneered both symbolism and social realism in Denmark. Considered one of the masterpieces of Danish culture, his painting Summer Day by Roskilde Fjord was included in the 2006 Danish Culture Canon. Ring was born as Laurits Andersen a village named Ring in southern Zealand. Ring came from a humble upbringing, his parents were a wheelmaker and a farmer's daughter. In 1869, he became a painter's apprentice because his older brother was to take over the father's workshop. In 1873, while working in Copenhagen Laurits decided to take classes in painting, and after two years of private studies he was accepted at the Danish Academy of Arts in 1875 and studied briefly with painter P. S. Krøyer. He was never content with the academy and disliked the strict training in classical disciplines. In 1881, he and his friend, the painter Hans Andersen from the village of Brændekilde, decided to change their last names, taking the names of their native villages, in order to avoid confusion at their joint exhibition. Laurits became L. A. Ring, and his friend Hans became H. A. Brendekilde. Ring's first exhibition took place in 1882, but he did not acquire recognition until 1884, the year in which he finished The Railroad Guard (Banevogteren, 1884). At a time when Denmark was in political turmoil, Ring was politically active in the "Rifle movement", a revolutionary group of students taking up arms training in preparation for a rebellion. Ring became increasingly interested in the difficulties of the poor and social justice for the lower classes which he often depicted in his paintings. Several themes are common in Rings work such as the division of tradition and the spirit of modernity which is often shown using heavy symbolism such as doorways, windows, streets, crossings and old countryside interrupted by man made structures. The rural common folk were often a subject of Ring who grew up in that environment but unlike many other painters he didn't strive to show hardship or pity but rather set out to present realistic glimpses into the typical day of a country laborer. After the passing of his brother death became a strong subject in many of Rings paintings as he wrestled with mortality from the eyes of an atheist. Towards the end of Rings life landscapes began to dominate his work and often incorporated many of the themes he had used throughout his early career.