Solgangsvind, Hvaløene 1896

Amaldus Nielsen painted this coastal landscape at Hvaløene using oil paints and brushes. Unlike many of his contemporaries who embraced industrial materials, Nielsen chose traditional pigments, likely ground by hand, combined with linseed oil, and applied to canvas. Note the thick application, called impasto, especially on the rocks in the foreground. The artist used a practiced hand, and considerable time, to capture the transient quality of light, and its effect on the water and rock formations. Oil painting like this was central to the art economy of the time, with academies, galleries, and patrons all supporting a system of production, and a hierarchy of value. While Nielsen’s subject matter is natural, even seemingly untouched, the painting itself speaks volumes about a very specific history of skilled labor, market forces, and aesthetic judgment. Thinking about these factors helps us appreciate that a painting is not just a window onto the world, but an object deeply embedded in it.