Carl Bloch (1834–1890)
An angel comforting Jesus before his arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane, c. 1873
Oil on copper
Height: 104 cm (40.9 in); Width: 83 cm (32.6 in)
The Museum of National History
In describing Jesus' experience in Gethsemane, Luke confirms many details found in the other three Gospels. Jesus left the upper room and went "as he was wont, to the mount of Olives" Jesus was accustomed to going to Gethsemane, as John indicates
An angel appeared to the Savior for the express purpose of strengthening him in his extremity.
Carl Heinrich Bloch (23 May 1834 – 22 February 1890) was a Danish artist.
He was born in Copenhagen, Denmark and studied there at the Royal Danish Academy of Art under Wilhelm Marstrand. Bloch's parents wanted their son to enter what they considered to be a respectable profession, an officer in the Navy.
Carl Bloch (1834–1890)
Two Munks, c. 1861
Oil on cardboard
34 x 44 cm
Private collection
Carl Bloch (1834–1890)
Samson and the Philistines, c. 1863
Oil on canvas
w184 x h245.5 cm
Samson is one of the last of the judges of the ancient Israelites mentioned in the Hebrew Bible. According to the biblical account, Samson was given supernatural strength by God in order to combat his enemies and perform heroic feats. Samson had two vulnerabilities—his attraction to untrustworthy women and his hair, without which he was powerless. These vulnerabilities ultimately proved fatal for him.
Samson eventually fell in love with a woman named Delilah. The Philistines bribed Delilah with 1,100 silver pieces from each of the Philistine leaders, to get her to figure out the secret of Samson's strength and tell them.
After asking him several times what the secret to his strength is: "Finally he disclosed to her all his heart and said to her: 'A razor has never come upon my head, because I am a Naz′i·rite of God from my mother’s belly. If I did get shaved, my power also would certainly depart from me, and I should indeed grow weak and become like all other men.'"
She relayed this to the Philistine axis lords, got Samson to fall asleep, and while he was sleeping, had his head shaved. The Philistines then took him captive, put out both his eyes, and made him their slave. More Samson
With Samson and the Philistines, painted in Rome in 1863, Bloch entered the Danish art scene in earnest.
With his virtuoso technique and narrative devices such as the way we as spectators are drawn into the scene, and the sheer concentrated action of the piece he brought Danish art on a par with contemporary European history painting. More on this painting
This, however, was not what he wanted. His only interest was drawing and painting, and he was consumed by the idea of becoming an artist. He went to Italy to study art, passing through the Netherlands, where he became acquainted with the work of Rembrandt, which became a major influence on him. Bloch met his wife, Alma Trepka, in Rome, where he married her on 31 May 1868. They were happily married until her early death in 1886.
Carl Bloch (1834–1890)
To leende piger (Two smiling girls), 1865
Oil on canvas
32 ¼ x 24 in. (82 x 61 cm.)
Private collection
Carl Bloch (1834–1890)
Street scene Rome. A young girl at her neddlework, c. 1865
Oil on canvas
62 x 46 cm
Private collection
Note how the girl, a little carelessly, has lost one shoe and almost waves to the viewer with her foot.
His early work featured rural scenes from everyday life. From 1859 to 1866, Bloch lived in Italy, and this period was important for the development of his historical style.
Carl Bloch (1834-1890)
Liberation of Prometheus, c. 1864
Oil on paper, affixed to canvas
46 x 38 cm
Ribe Art Museum
Prometheus was the Titan god of forethought and crafty counsel who was given the task of moulding mankind out of clay. His attempts to better the lives of his creation brought him into conflict withZeus. Firstly he tricked the gods out of the best portion of the sacrificial feast, acquiring the meat for the feasting of man. Then, when Zeus withheld fire, he stole it from heaven and delivered it to mortal kind hidden inside a fennel-stalk. As punishment for these rebellious acts, Zeus ordered the creation of Pandora(the first woman) as a means to deliver misfortune into the house of man, or as a way to cheat mankind of the company of the good spirits. Prometheus meanwhile, was arrested and bound to a stake on Mount Kaukasos (Caucasus) where aneagle was set to feed upon his ever-regenerating liver (or, some say, heart). Generations later the great hero Herakles (Heracles) came along and released the old Titan from his torture. More on Prometheus
His first great success was the exhibition of his "Prometheus Unbound" (See above) in Copenhagen in 1865. After the death of Marstrand, he finished the decoration of the ceremonial hall at the University of Copenhagen. The sorrow over losing his wife weighed heavily on Bloch, and being left alone with their eight children after her death was very difficult for him.
Carl Bloch (1834–1890)
In a Roman Osteria, c. 1866
Oil on canvas
Height: 1,485 mm (58.46 in); Width: 1,775 mm (69.88 in)
Statens Museum for Kunst
An osteria in Italy was originally a place serving wine and simple food.
One of Bloch's better-known genre scenes, the painting was commissioned by the merchant Moritz G. Melchior, Bloch's friend and major supporter who is included in the background of the painting. He is sitting in an osteria, at a table talking with his friends. The two figures sitting beside him are depicted, the figure turning his back to the viewers is the painter himself. More on this painting
As is often the case with Bloch, the knives and forks sit rather loosely. Notice in particular how the phallic carafe on the left is probably close to an inviting mouth with slightly separated lips, but is certainly also uncomfortably close to both a knife and a fork with only two long teeth that are significantly more pointed than the teeth on it young man's fork.
In relation to Bloch's great life's work, the genre pictures were a break from the many commissioned assignments from official Denmark. Monks with toothaches, monks picking chickens, rude fisherwomen and children hunting duckless ducks were among the favorite motifs. Usually very funny pictures, but also quite often strange pictures that are very open to interpretation. More on this painting
In a New Year's letter from 1866 to Bloch, H. C. Andersen wrote the following: "What God has arched on solid rock will not be swept away!" Another letter from Andersen declared "Through your art you add a new step to your Jacob-ladder into immortality."
In a final ode, from a famous author to a famous artist, H.C. Andersen said "Write on the canvas; write your seal on immortality. Then you will become noble here on earth."
Carl Bloch (1834–1890)
Healing of the Blind Man, c. 1871
Oil on canvas
The Museum of National History
As Christ went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
“Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam”. So the man went and washed, and came home seeing. Healing of the Blind Man
In a final ode, from a famous author to a famous artist, H.C. Andersen said "Write on the canvas; write your seal on immortality. Then you will become noble here on earth."
Carl Bloch (1834–1890)
King Christian II of Denmark in prison at Sønderborg Castle in Denmark, c. 1871
Oil on canvas
115×95 cm
Private collection
Christian II (1 July 1481 – 25 January 1559) was a Scandinavian monarch under the Kalmar Union who reigned as King of Denmark and Norway, from 1513 until 1523, and Sweden from 1520 until 1521. From 1513 to 1523, he was concurrently Duke of Schleswig and Holstein in joint rule with his uncle Frederick.
As king, Christian tried to maintain the Kalmar Union between the Scandinavian countries which brought him to war with Sweden, lasting between 1518 and 1523. Though he captured the country in 1520, the subsequent slaughter of leading Swedish nobility, churchmen, and others, known as the Stockholm Bloodbath, caused the Swedes to rise against his rule. He was deposed in a rebellion led by the nobleman and later king of Sweden Gustav Vasa. He attempted to bring in a radical reform of the Danish state in 1521–22, which would have strengthened the rights of commoners at the expense of the nobles and clergy. The nobility rose against him in 1523, and he was exiled to the Netherlands, ceding the Danish throne to Fredrick I. After attempting to reclaim the thrones in 1531, he was arrested and held in captivity for the rest of his life, first in Sønderborg Castle and later at Kalundborg Castle. More on Christian II
He was then commissioned to produce 23 paintings for the King's Chapel at Frederiksborg Palace. These were all scenes from the life of Christ which have become very popular as illustrations. The originals, painted between 1865 and 1879, are still at Frederiksborg Palace. The altarpieces can be found at Holbaek, Odense, Ugerloese and Copenhagen in Denmark, as well as Loederup, Hoerup, and Landskrona in Sweden.
Carl Bloch (1834–1890)
Suffer the Children, c. 1800s
Oil on copper
38" x 34"
The Museum of National History
Chapel at Frederiksborg Palace in Copenhagen
"Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein". And he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them.
Carl Bloch (1834–1890)
Burial of Christ, c. 1800's
Oil on canvas
I have no further description, at this timeThe burial of Jesus refers to the burial of the body of Jesus after crucifixion, described in the New Testament. According to the canonical gospel accounts, he was placed in a tomb by a man named Joseph of Arimathea. In art, it is often called the Entombment of Christ. More on The Entombment
Nicodemus depicted on the left, Joseph of Arimathea depicted on the right
Bloch died of cancer on 22 February 1890. His death came as "an abrupt blow for Nordic art" according to an article by Sophus Michaelis. Michaelis stated that "Denmark has lost the artist that indisputably was the greatest among the living." Kyhn stated in his eulogy at Bloch's funeral that "Bloch stays and lives."
Carl Bloch (1834–1890)
Christ with Mocking Soldier, c. 1880
Oil on cardboard
33×27 cm
Private collection
The mocking of Jesus occurred several times, after his trial and before his crucifixion according to the canonical gospels of the New Testament. It is considered part of Jesus' passion.
According to the gospel narratives, Jesus had predicted that he would be mocked. The mocking of Christ took place in three stages: immediately following his trial, immediately following his condemnation by Pontius Pilate, and when he was being crucified.
The New Testament narratives of Jesus being mocked are filled with irony, while the mockery focuses on Jesus' prophetic and kingly roles. More on the mocking of Jesus
Carl Bloch (1834–1890)
Christ Healing the Sick at Bethesda, c. 1883
Oil on canvas
Brigham Young University Museum of Art
The Healing of a paralytic at Bethesda is one of the miraculous healings attributed to Jesus in the New Testament.
John's Gospel account describes how Jesus, visiting Jerusalem for a Jewish feast,, encounters one of the disabled people who used to lie here, a man who had been paralysed for thirty-eight years. Jesus asks the man if he wants to get well. The man explains that he is unable to enter the water, because he has no one to help him in and others go down ahead of him. Jesus tells him to pick up his bed or mat and walk; the man is instantly cured and is able to do so. More on Christ Healing the Sick at Bethesda
Carl Heinrich Bloch
The Doubting Thomas
Oil on Canvas
60" x 30"
Brigham Young University Museum of Art
A doubting Thomas is a skeptic who refuses to believe without direct personal experience—a reference to the Apostle Thomas, who refused to believe that the resurrected Jesus had appeared to the ten other apostles, until he could see and feel the wounds received by Jesus on the cross.
In art, the episode (formally called the Incredulity of Thomas) has been frequently depicted since at least the 5th century, with its depiction reflecting a range of theological interpretations. More doubting Thomas
Circle Carl Bloch
Christ and St Thomas
Oil on canvas
68x68cm
Private collection
Carl Heinrich Bloch (Danish, 1834--1890)
A young baker cooling down, c. 1888
Oil on panel
68 x 47 cm
Private collection
For over 40 years The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has made heavy use of Bloch's paintings, mostly from the Frederiksborg Palace collection, in its church buildings and printed media. The Church has produced films depicting scriptural accounts of Christ's public ministry, using Bloch's paintings as models for the colour, light and overall set design as well as the movement of the actors in many of the films' scenes. The most notable example of this is the 2000 film The Testaments of One Fold and One Shepherd.
Through the assistance of Danish-born artist Soren Edsberg (born 1945), the acquisition of Christ healing at the pool of Bethesda, [formerly owned by Indre Mission, Copenhagen, Denmark], was made possible for The Museum of Art, Brigham Young University (BYU), Provo, Utah, United States.[1] A second work by Bloch, an 1880 grisaille version of The Mocking of Christ, was purchased by BYU in June 2015.
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