Carl Locher (Denmark, 1851 -1915). No title. Oil on canvas. Signed lower right corner. Slight repainting. Frame with lack of polychromy.

Lot description

CARL LOCHER (Denmark, 1851-1915). Untitled. Oil on canvas. Signed lower right corner. Slight repainting. Frame with lack of polychromy. Measurements: 40 x 55 cm; 60 x 74 cm (frame) In this marine by Locher we can appreciate his unmistakable precise and realistic style. The artist proposes an image apparently of great simplicity, as there are few elements in it. It should be noted that the scene seems to be inspired by the swell in Locher's well-known painting "The lifeboat is on its way to rescue a beached ship", in which sailors are rescued. In both paintings the manner in which the waves are depicted is very similar. However, the lack of human presence in this image deprives the scenes of their dramatic aspect and offers the viewer a completely different vision using the same chromatic range based on colours ranging from the dark tones and greys of the sea to the subtle brushstrokes of light creating reflections in the water. Renowned for his naval depictions, Carl Locher revolutionised marine painting in the history of Danish art, as he was able to combine, within the Skagen group of painters, the use of Impressionist contrasts of light and the realistic depictions of the Barbizon school. His training began with the voyages he made with his father on the seas of Greenland and Western India. However, his artistic production came to the fore thanks to his trip to Paris in the 1870s, where he became a pupil of the realist painter Léon Bonnat. Although based in Paris, he travelled regularly to his native Denmark. It was there that he became a member of the group of painters in Skagen, a summer destination in a fishing village, known for being home to an important community of Danish artists. The Skagen group was devoted to plein air painting, mixing the latest trends of Impressionism and the traditions of French realist painting.