Seascape with a Wreck
J.C. Dahl (Norwegian, 1788–1857)
1831
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Classification
- Painting
- Dimensions
- height 22 cm, width 40.3 cm, height 32.8 cm, width 50.8 cm
- Culture
- Norwegian
- 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
- Tweens profiles and older: its subjects are known and suit older children. How works are placed
View at the SMK – National Gallery of Denmark
About this work
Dahl and Friedrich were close friends; from 1823 they were even neighbours. They mutually inspired each other: One of Dahl’s favourite subjects was ships at sea in violent storms. It is likely that the decisive inspiration came from Friedrich, particularly his painting ‘After the Storm’ from 1817. Dahl’s shipwreck has a close kinship with Friedrich’s in its composition, but there are definite differences, too. Dahl’s ship is helplessly lost in the waves. Born in Bergen, Dahl studied art in Copenhagen in 1811–18, and even he settled in Dresden he maintained close ties to Danish art. His subjects range from meticulous studies of nature to panoramic mountain scenes and dramatic volcanic eruptions. He was an influential figure for several younger Danish painters, putting them in touch with German contemporaries, several of whom studied in Copenhagen.
