ABILDGAARD, NICOLAI ABRAHAM

born Sept. 11, 1743, Copenhagen, Den. died June 4, 1809, Frederiksdal also spelled Nikolaj-abraham Abilgaard the most renowned Danish painter of the late 18th century and one of the early Neoclassicists. During 1772-77 Abildgaard studied in Rome, where he was primarily influenced by antique sculpture and Roman wall paintings. His style was classical, though with a romantic trend, and he had a remarkable sense of colour. Many of his paintings are melodramatic interpretations of episodes from ancient literature. He taught at the Danish Royal Academy of Fine Arts, of which he became director in 1789. Bertel Thorvaldsen, the prominent Danish sculptor, was his pupil.