For over 40 years The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has made heavy use of Carl Bloch's paintings, mostly from the Frederiksborg Palace collection, in its church buildings and printed media. The LDS church has produced films depicting scriptural accounts of Christ's mortal ministry, using Bloch's paintings as models for the colour, light and overall set design as well as the movement of the actors in many of the films' scenes. The most notable example of this is the movie The Testaments of One Fold and One Shepherd.
Joergen Peter Bloch, Emilie Ulrikke Henriette Weitzmann Bloch
Alma Trepka
Carl Bloch died of cancer on February 22, 1890. His death came as "an abrupt blow for Nordic art" according to an article by Sophus Michaelis. Michaelis stated that "Denmark has lost the artist that indisputably was the greatest among the living." Kyhn stated in his eulogy at Carl Bloch's funeral that "Bloch stays and lives."
1834-05-23
Copenhagen, Denmark
1890-02-22
1849 - Royal Danish Academy of Art
1851-52 - Attended the W. Marstrand Model School
1852 - Won small silver medal for drawing exhibited the following year at the academy
1853 - Won large silver medal for drawing exhibited the following year at the academy
Bloch's parents wanted their son to enter a respectable profession - an officer in the Navy. This, however, was not what Carl wanted. His only interest was drawing and painting, and he was consumed by the idea of becoming an artist. He went to Italy to study art, passing through the Netherlands, where he became acquainted with the work of Rembrandt, which became a major influence on him.