Frants Henningsen - A Funeral [1883]

Frants Henningsen - A Funeral [1883], a photo by Gandalf's Gallery on Flickr.

A pregnant woman and her two small children are following their husband/father to his grave. A thoroughly tragic situation that Henningsen (1850 - 1908) has chosen to accentuate with gloomy winter weather, a meagre gathering, and the woman’s greyish-white complexion.

A burial among the poor, conducted at the Assistens graveyard in the Nørrebro area of Copenhagen. At first glance, the painting seems to be a realistic record of a tragic, life-changing event. However, the artist has employed a number of effective devices in order to intensify the unhappy story. The gloomy winter weather, the naked wall, the small number of people in the gathering, the children in the middle, the greyish-white complexion of the young woman’s face. She even appears to be pregnant and now only has her old father to lean on. Every device is brought to bear in order to accentuate the hopelessness of the situation.