Poul Simon Christiansen

Poul Simon Christiansen, frequently referred to as Poul S. Christiansen (20 October 1855, Rolfsted, Funen – 14 November 1933, Copenhagen) was a Danish painter who developed a Colourist style under Kristian Zahrtmann and as a result of his appreciation of the works of Paul Gauguin and Vincent van Gogh.

[1] Trained by his father as a windmill builder, he studied art at Zahrtmann's Artists Studio School (1885–1890).

[3] With his dedicated concern for detail and a feel for dramatic effect, Christiansen created monumental works with strong bright colours.

His Dante pictures, inspired by Giotto and Bernardino Luini, reveal his Expressionistic use of colour, perhaps also influenced by his appreciation of paintings by Gauguin and Van Gogh which were exhibited in Copenhagen in 1893.

[3] Among his most notable paintings are Dante og Beatrice i paradiset (1893) and Knud den Store ved Havet (1908).