Niels Skovgaard (1858–1938)
”Th’ Sea”. Sunshine, 1888 and 1892
Olie på lærred
42.5 x 62 cm
In the summer of 1884, Niels Skovgaard set out for the west coast of Jutland in the company of the painter Karl Jensen (1851-1933). They settled at Kjærgaard between Vejers and Henne Strand. Here Skovgaard, who was searching for vast scenes of natural beauty that had not yet been painted by anyone, found a subject that gripped him with an enduring fascination; so much so that he returned to the area again in 1888, 1892, 1893 and 1894.
Over a period of approximately twenty years, Skovgaard created a large number of works with the sea and the waves as their main subject, including
“Th’ Sea”. Sunshine. He began painting it during his second and somewhat brief stay at Kjærgaard in 1888, in the company of the painters Susette Holten (1863-1937), Elise Konstantin-Hansen (1858-1946) and Henrik Jespersen (1853-1937). As the dating indicates, Skovgaard presumably continued working on the painting – and completed it – during his third visit to Kjærgaard in 1892.
In
“Th’ Sea”. Sunshine, Skovgaard focuses on the ferocious waves and the dramatic surf rolling towards the beach with great force. Very little space is devoted to the sky as the line of the high horizon is broken by the turbulent sea. It was clearly important for Skovgaard to create a painting of nature’s beauty and forcefulness – without any distracting elements such as humans or ships – and one quickly gets the impression that he must have painted the picture on site, in front of his subject, a theory confirmed by the fact that grains of sand have been found in the pigments.
[1] The time of day chosen have also had a great impact on the creative process and the final appearance of the painting as Skovgaard’s scene is depicted in strong daylight, causing the rushing sea foam to appear luminously white.
Inv. no. B 430
Published in:
Aksel Rode: Niels Skovgaard : Med en Fortegnelse over hans malede Arbejder ved Ebbe Skovgaard, København 1943, p. 152;
Ebbe Skovgaard: ”Fortegnelse over Niels Skovgaards malerier og studier i olie, tempera og cassein” in Aksel Rode: Niels Skovgaard, København 1943, cat.no. 227, p. 414 and cat.no. 272, p. 415;
Erik Zahle: ”Billedkunst” in C.L. Davids Samling. Nogle Studier, [1], København 1948, p. 208;
Bente Scavenius: Den frie udstilling i 100 år, København 1991, p. 33;
Leila Krogh et al.: J.F. Willumsen og Den frie Udstillings første år 1891-1898, J.F. Willumsens Museum, Frederikssund 1982, cat.no. 63, p. 84;
Mikael Wivel in Iben From (ed.): Vandskel = Watershed, KunstCentret Silkeborg Bad, Silkeborg 2002, cat.no. 4, pp. 73, 75;
Bente Scavenius: Grib Tiden. Kunsten 1890-1910, Kunstforeningen Gl. Strand, København 2004, cat.no. 204, pp. 24, 78;
Mikael Wivel in Kjeld von Folsach and Nana Lund (eds.): Dansk kunst i Davids Samling – fra Philipsen til Saxbo, København 1995, cat.no. 44, pp. 116-117;
Peter Nørgaard Larsen ”Bølgemotivet i Niels Skovgaards kunst” in Anne-Mette Villumsen, Teresa Nielsen (eds.): Niels Skovgaard. Maler – Billedhugger – Keramiker – Illustrator, Skovgaard Museet, Fuglsang Kunstmuseum, Vejen Kunstmuseum, Vejen 2018, fig. 4, pp. 32, 37-40;
Kathrin Baumstark (ed.): Nolde und der Norden, Bucerius KUNST Forum, Hamburg 2021, cat.no. 40, p. 131;
Bente Scavenius: Mit livs billeder, København 2021, p. 97-101;
