Travel To Paris
With Wiedewelt’s help Clemens received a four-year travel stipend and was able to leave Copenhagen in 1774. We went directly to Paris, where he was influenced by the technique and style of Charles-Nicolas Cochin. Clemens was productive and etched many portraits during his stay in Paris. He also became engaged to Marie Jeanne Crevoisier while there.
He developed such a glowing reputation as an artist in Paris that the Academy soon offered to take him on as a member, provided he produced a new, quality work for his application piece. At the same time his travel stipend was running out. He requested permission to stay, and was denied it because “certain important people” wanted Clemens to return to Copenhagen to etch plates for a royal project. Clemens ignored this order and remained, at least until he received a formal order to return. His friends in Copenhagen, however, managed to get him permission for a stopover in Switzerland on his travel home.
Clemens left Paris in 1777 along with Jens Juel and Simon Malgo, and traveled to Geneva, where he made vignettes for Charles Bonnet’s "Oeuvres d'histoire naturelle et de philosophie " and an etching based on Jens Juel’s portrait of Bonnet. The portrait drew a lot of attention to Clemens’ skills, and led to a lifelong collaboration between the two artists.
Read more about this topic: Johan Frederik Clemens
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