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Ship in a Storm

Peder Balke Norwegian
1870s
Not on view
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.
Virtually all the elements of this scene were rendered with single strokes of thinned paint into which, at the right, Balke repeatedly pressed his fingertip to evoke the surface of rocks. The insistent physicality of the painted surface in a picture of such small scale results in a striking directness of effect. It is not known whether late works such as this one were produced primarily as a personal pastime, to be sold to collectors, or to be given as gifts.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Ship in a Storm
  • Artist: Peder Balke (Norwegian, Helgøya, Nes 1804–1887 Oslo (Kristiania))
  • Date: 1870s
  • Medium: Oil on composition board
  • Dimensions: 3 1/8 × 4 3/4 in. (8 × 12 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: The Hearn Family Trust
  • Curatorial Department: European Paintings