This early 20th-century plein-air oil painting by Danish artist Julius Paulsen (1860-1940) depicts a Summer landscape with a vast cloud-covered sky. It’s painted quickly with a rhythmical approach.

Paulsen was highly regarded during his lifetime and predominantly known for his finer works. However, during the late 1920s/early 1930s, he produced numerous views such as this, with comparatively loose handling. In 1930, he was 70 years old, and, like many artists, his approach had become freer as he reached his autumn years.

There’s a palpable sense of enjoyment here within the sprawling verdant grasses. He’s standing at an easel, working on a rather large canvas, studying the clouds amid a warm breeze.

Paulsen trained at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen and later became a professor. His works are held in many public collections including Frederiksborg Palace.

The painting was shown at a retrospective exhibition at the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek in Copenhagen. It was previously in the collection of sculptor Hugo Liisberg, the artist’s grandson.

Learn more about Julius Paulsen in our directory.

Medium: Oil on canvas
Overall size: 49½” x 37½” / 126cm x 95cm
Year of creation: c. 1930
Labels & Inscriptions: Exhibition label on reverse relating to a retrospective in 1948 at the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek in Copenhagen. Also refers to its previous owner, the sculptor Hugo Liisberg.
Provenance: Hugo Liisberg (1948) / Private Collection, Denmark.
Exhibited: Copenhagen, New Carlsberg Glyptotek, Julius Paulsen 1860-1940: paintings, sketches, drawings memorial exhibition October 1948 - November 1948, no. 74.
Condition: Assessed and approved by our conservator. Cleaned. Fine and settled craquelure. The paint layer is stable. Faint stretcher marks.
Artist’s auction maximum: £21,979
Our reference: BRV1086