Title

Creation Date

Materials

Dimensions

30 in H x 40 in W

Description

Danish born Henning Blak Jensen was accepted into the Copenhagen College of Art and Design where he earned a degree in 1951. Two years later he received a second degree in painting from the Copenhagen Academy of Art. While still a college student he also trained at Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris between 1948 and 1952 and with artist Helge Ernst at Haut-des-Cagnes on the French RIviera. During one summer he and several other young art students were able to paint at one of the villas in Vallauris owned by Spanish artist Pablo Picasso. “Every morning until 4 we would work, Jensen recalled, ”We sketched models and sat at long tables and [Picasso] would look at our work." 

Jensen immigrated to the United States in 1958 and worked as a graphic artist at Honeywell for 30 years. He painted fine art in his home in Edina and a studio on the North Shore of Lake Superior throughout his life. In 1974 he joined the faculty of the University of Minnesota as a professor of fine arts teaching drawing and design. 

“I'm a naturalist by choice. I love to paint in the open areas. I can't tell you how many canvases I've lost in Lake Superior" he told a reporter in 2008. “I love the ocean, the woods, the rocks and the open fields.” The blue at the top of the painting may be the sky, but more likely Lake Superior. 
 

Related People and Organizations

Contact the Danish American Center for more information