Study of Clouds over the Sea
C.W. Eckersberg (Danish, 1783–1853)
1826
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Classification
- Painting
- Dimensions
- height 20 cm, width 31 cm, height 25.3 cm, width 35.7 cm
- Culture
- Danish
- Museum
- SMK – National Gallery of Denmark
- Rights
- Public Domain Mark: SMK waives its rights in this photograph, as the museum states it.
- Who can see it
- Little Ones profiles and older: it shows gentle subjects for the very young. How works are placed
View at the SMK – National Gallery of Denmark
About this work
In early September 1826 Eckersberg went out to Kalkbrænderibugten, a bay just north of Copenhagen, in order to paint a range of studies of clouds over the water. Before that he had already done two drawn studies of clouds over the Sound, both dated 13 August 1826 [cat. 113&114]. Eckersberg refers to the painted studies in his diary on 1 September (“Painted three sketches of air and clouds”), 3 September (“Painted two atmospheric studies”) and 7 September (“painted two atmospheric studies”) (cf. Eckersberg 2009, 213f). This painting is presumably one of those seven studies. The paintings reflect Eckersberg’s newfound and keen interest in meteorological conditions, particularly the various cloud formations in the sky. It is possible that Eckersberg had become familiar with the theories of the English meteorologist Luke Howard at this point, but this is by no means certain.
