In the late 19th century, it was the rule, rather than the exception, that a painter paired up with another painter. The female artist was the creative amateur, the maintainer of hearth and home, who stood by her professional spouse’s side. From 1885, Alhed drew and painted under the guidance of Fritz Syberg, and was later joined by her husband-to-be Johannes Larsen, and Peter Hansen. Peter Hansen’s sisters Anna Syberg and Marie Schou became her lifelong friends, as did Johannes Larsen’s sister, Christine Swane. Alhed Larsen became the unifying figure for the entire circle of Fynbo Painters.
Kerteminde, Møllebakken and the Fynbo Painters
From 1890–93, Alhed worked at the Royal Porcelain Factory (Royal Copenhagen). To recover from a breakdown after a rather drawn-out, broken engagement, she headed to Italy, where she remained for some time. On her return, her friendship with Johannes Larsen blossomed into engagement and marriage. In 1902, the family moved into their newly built villa on Møllebakken in Kerteminde. In 1917, a studio building was added, with a conservatory featuring both a cave wall of corals, and a fountain. The artists’ home in Kerteminde is famous for the lovely, unusual garden that the Larsens created together. It was a favourite motif in Alhed Larsen’s work, although her artistic production is not extensive.
Alhed Larsen’s Flowers, Still Lifes and Pastels
Alhed Larsen worked primarily with motifs such as flowers, still lifes, interiors and window views – motifs that could be combined with her other functions in the home. She experimented with the impact of light and colour, generally embracing naturalism in her paintings. In around 1920, she often painted in pastels, with intensely glowing floral colours – the only one of the Fynbo painters to use this technique. A series of works in oil from the spring of 1927 show that, shortly before her death, caused by Encephalitis lethargica (sleeping sickness), Alhed’s work was undergoing a stylistic renewal, with interiors taking precedence over floral motifs. As a central figure at Møllebakken, Alhed Larsen played an important role in the country’s influential debate circles of the early decades of the 20th century.