Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg - View through Three of theNorth-Western Arches of the Third Storey of the Coliseum in Rome[c.1815-16]

Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg - View through Three of the North-Western Arches of the Third Storey of the Coliseum in Rome [c.1815-16], a photo by Gandalf's Gallery on Flickr.

Eckersberg (1783 - 1853) began his open-air painting, previously unknown within Danish art, while in Rome, completing the painting on site. This gave him the opportunity to observe the scene more directly, and the rendition is characterised by great freshness and immediacy. He undoubtedly used binoculars to be able to faithfully reproduce the details in the background. 

With his art firmly anchored in representations of reality, Eckersberg laid down the foundations for the next three or four decades of Danish painting, thus helping to create the Golden Age of Danish art. Eckersberg was appointed professor at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in 1818, giving his students the chance to study his Roman scenes at the residence provided for him at Charlottenborg.