Christen Købke, 'Portrait of Wilhelm Bendz', about 1830

Christen Købke probably painted this portrait of Wilhelm Bendz (1804–1832) around 1830, shortly before Bendz left Copenhagen. Bendz was a pupil of Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen. He was enrolled at the Academy from 1820 to 1825, and by 1830 had already acquired a reputation as an accomplished artist, particularly as a portraitist, although he was still receiving advice and tuition from Eckersberg. In 1831 he embarked on a Grand Tour to Germany and Italy, but he only got as far as Vicenza in northern Italy, where he died in 1832, possibly of typhoid fever. He was just 28.

Købke was also enrolled at the Academy, having begun his studies there when he was just 12 years old. In 1825 he became a pupil of Christian August Lorentzen. It was not until Lorentzen’s death in 1825 that he came into contact with Eckersberg, who greatly influenced his approach to painting. Købke left the Academy in 1832, but continued as Eckersberg’s private pupil for another year. Most of Købke’s portraits were of family members or friends. Bendz, who was six years his senior, was an important influence on him, and the portrait is a testament to their close bond.

Both the style and technique of the portrait are typical of Købke’s early maturity, when he was beginning to move away from the influence of Eckersberg and develop a more informal style of portraiture, though one still grounded in an intensely observed realism. Holding his maulstick, with which he would have supported his hand while painting, Bendz glances inquiringly to the side, as if caught at work. The picture’s small format enhances the feeling of intimacy. His pale face, slightly flushed with reddish-pink, especially on the cheeks and broad forehead, is framed by his black frock coat and the sombre neutral background. Købke has used precise dabs and streaks of red and pinkish white to give a lively freshness to the skin tones. These are complemented by the blue-grey of Bendz’s eyes, which Købke has painted with almost scientific detail, even noting the pattern of the irises. Thin lines of brilliant white give definition to his shirt collar, and short curved flecks of white highlight the jacket’s black buttons against the dark cloth.

Bendz was one of the most talented artists of the generation, although his output was small due to his untimely death. Following his death, several copies were made of this portrait, which was owned by Bendz’s nephew. Købke himself painted another version of it, perhaps as a souvenir for Eckersberg, their teacher.