This spirited early 20th-century oil painting by Danish artist Vilhelm Arnesen (1865-1948) depicts a coastal view with a beach and distant lighthouse. Arnesen was a celebrated painter of maritime subjects.
Perpetual breakers topple across kelp-covered sand under low-lying clouds in a sweep of pink. A lighthouse punctures the skyline. Note how the ingenious composition creates a diagonal from the bottom left towards the right middle, thus adding interest and guiding the eye. While out towards the hills, the form of a single sailboat breaks up the colour beyond. Arnesen produced this on the spot and there are sand particles embedded in the paint.
Born in Flensburg, Germany, the son of a Sea Captain, Arnesen’s career was destined to be of a seafaring nature. Aside from sailing, his father was a keen modelmaker and thus filled the home with numerous diminutive ships. One can imagine young Vilhelm captivated by every new creation and discussing their construction in great detail. It’s said that he gained a sound knowledge of rigging via his father’s instruction.
At 17, he enrolled at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts where he remained for the following six years. This was exceedingly beneficial as he not only honed his technique but also developed connections with noteworthy patrons. For instance, during his time at the Academy, he accompanied the Danish Royal Family on various voyages and undoubtedly filled his sketchbooks with studies of vessels. It’s recorded that he would often travel aboard warships.
From this point on, his career was peppered with a myriad of adventures including trips to Italy, Finland, Holland, the United Kingdom, North America and Asia. Perhaps a restless soul, he continually sought new inspiration by exploring a diverse array of international shores.
His style was distinctly harmonious with balance a key tenet of his compositions. Rarely are seas frothing with volatility, as he preferred to portray nature as congruous with man. Rarely are skies brooding with melancholy, as he opted for radiance over solemnity.
At his essence, Arnesen was an explorer who could paint, rather than a painter who explored. And it’s telling that in a studio photo from around 1915, he bears the expression of a gentleman who would rather be at sea.
As recognition of his talent, he was awarded numerous accolades including the Neuhausen Prize twice, the Eckersberg Medal, and the Order of the Dannebrog.
Today, he’s represented at the Statens Museum for Kunst and at Aalborg.
Signed in the lower left (in the wet), also in the lower right and dated. Held within a gilt frame from the period, which is probably original.
Learn more about Vilhelm Arnesen in our directory.
Medium: Oil on canvas
Overall size: 34½” x 24½” / 87cm x 62cm
Year of creation: 1905
Labels & Inscriptions: Supplier’s label on reverse.
Provenance: Private collection, Denmark.
Condition: Cleaned. Frame with various marks and showing its age.
Artist’s auction maximum: £16,000 for ‘Shipping Before the Port of Constantinople (1901)’, Oil on canvas, Phillips, Fine 19th and 20th Century European Paintings and Watercolours, London, 15 jun 1993 (lot 111).
Our reference: BRV1986
