File:Interior with dining table.jpg

Through the depiction of solitary, usually female, figures with concealed identities, Holsøe's paintings evoke the brooding nature of introspection and self-absorption. His work, influenced by the 17th Century interiors of the Dutch masters Vermeer, de Hooch and ter Borch, explored the emotional content inherent in the household interior

Holsøe trained at the Royal Academy of Copenhagen with Vilhelm Hammershøi (1864-1916), a very close friend and mentor, from 1882-1884. Holsøe continued his instruction at the Peder Severin Kroyer's Artists' Study School. Together, the artists later formed the Danish School of Interior painting. Beginning in 1888, Holsøe received several grants from the Academy and was able to exhibit his work in Denmark as well as abroad.

In 1889, Holsøe received an honorable mention at an exhibition at the Exposition Universelle de Paris; two years later the artist was awarded a medal in Munich, where he exhibited on a regular basis until 1918.

Carl Holsøe became a member of the board of the academy and Kunstforeningen. He exhibited for many years at Charlottenborg but also widely in Denmark, e.g. in Moderne dansk Kunst, Kunstnerforeningen, Foreningen for National Kunst and abroad at the world exhibition in Paris, and in Munich and London.

Holsøe, Hammershøi and Peder Ilsted (1861-1933) shared an increasing interest in the study of light and shade and of their effects on surfaces and objects in an interior.

He became friends with Hammershoi and they mutually inspired and influenced each other. His pieces often deal with narratives involving the home as illustrated with this piece.

He often concentrated on interiors with a masterful technique that reflected the influence of the Dutch masters such as Vermeer. He also painted landscapes, still lives and flower paintings. He is represented at Statens Museum for Kunst (the Danish National Gallery), Nationalmuseet (the National Museum), Fyn, Ribe, Bornholm, Aarhus, and Nordjylland's museum.

His work can be found in galleries and collections all over the world. He is a well listed artists and his art has become highly collected and extremely valuable.