Anton Laurids Johannes Dorph Biography

Anton Laurids Johannes Dorph (1831-1914) was a Danish painter who is remembered for his altarpieces and his paintings of fishermen.

Dorph entered the Danish Academy in 1845, where he studied under Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg. Later, he received lessons from Wilhelm Marstrand (1849-50). After winning the Academy's silver medal, he began to exhibit portraits and genre paintings. With his portrait of the actor C.N. Rosenkilde (1856), which was displayed in the foyer of the Royal Danish Theatre, he became increasingly well known. His full-figured portrait of the sculptor Evens brought him the Neuhausen Prize in 1857. The same year, he began painting a series of works representing the fishermen of Zealand. He then turned to large religious works for altarpieces. Thanks to a stipend from the Academy, he travelled to Italy (1859-61), where he made several genre paintings, including Fiskere i Sorrent, Sommeraften ved Solnedgang, which was exhibited in 1860.

Even if he did not gain the same level of fame as Carl Heinrich Bloch, Dorph became quite popular, especially for his paintings of fishermen, of which reproductions hung in a considerable number of Danish homes. His many altarpieces in the second half of the 19th century are also of note.