The Hirschsprung family portrait. From the left Ivar, Aage, Heinrich, Oscar, Robert, Pauline and Ellen HIrschsprung 1881

Peder Severin Krøyer painted ‘The Hirschsprung family portrait’ with oil on canvas. The artwork is organized to balance a formal arrangement of figures with intimate family connections. The formal arrangement of the members suggests Krøyer’s interest in structure. On the left the family members stand in the open air, bathed in natural light, while on the right the scene is confined to an enclosed porch. The dark hues used for the figures create a sense of seriousness, which contrasts the soft shades and bright light of the background, creating a play between visibility and enclosure. Krøyer uses the play between interiority and exteriority to explore structural tensions between private and public life. The open composition is visually accessible, yet the carefully arranged subjects suggest deeper, concealed dynamics. The painting, therefore, operates beyond mere representation, prompting ongoing interpretation through its formal structure and the dynamics it presents.