Solnedgang 1884

Amaldus Nielsen created this evocative oil painting, titled "Solnedgang," which translates to Sunset, sometime in the late 19th or early 20th century. The setting sun dominates the horizon, suffusing the sky and sea with a fiery glow and the work immediately calls to mind Romanticism and its interest in the power of nature. Nielsen was Norwegian, and his artistic practice developed during a period of growing nationalism in Norway, where artists turned to the natural landscape to define a distinctly Norwegian identity. But this work moves beyond simple depictions of natural beauty. Like many artists of his time, Nielsen was also influenced by the Realist movement, as is evident in the gritty and unidealized depiction of the rocks in the foreground. Archival research into the art market of this period would help us understand the social and institutional dynamics that shaped Nielsen's artistic choices. The interpretation of art is contingent on social and institutional context.