Johan Christian Dahl

Dahl, Johan Christian Clausen

Norwegian, 1788 - 1857

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A man and woman stand look away from us toward a moonlit, rocky, coastal inlet with misty, midnight-blue mountains along the horizon in this shadowy, horizontal landscape painting. The sky fills the top two-thirds of the painting, and the people are small in scale against the landscape. Along the horizon, pearl-white clouds float against a lilac-purple and pale pink haze. The sky deepens to ultramarine blue above, and a band of nickel-gray clouds sweeps in across the top edge of the painting to partially obscure the bright white moon, to our right of center. The moonlight gleams on the water below, which winds around the rocky coastline and small islands dotted with trees. Closer to us, the land stretches across the lower edge of the composition. Hulking, rocky formations line the left edge of the painting, and a wooden structure with mossy growth along its roof sits to our right. Long poles lean against the building’s roof. At the lower center of the painting, the woman, to our left, links her arm through the man’s elbow. She wears a long, rust-brown dress and a broad brimmed bonnet, while he wears a dark, knee-length coat and a round cap. They stand near the water’s edge, silhouetted against the bright reflections of the soft purple and pink sky above. Out in the water but close to the shoreline, brown nets hang like slings from a line of twenty-three, irregularly spaced poles. A three-masted ship is anchored near the shore to our right. Two rowboats, one with a person inside, and a few more sailboats are pulled up along a dock beyond the ship. The artist signed and dated the painting in the lower right, “Dahl Januar 1827”.
Johan Christian Dahl, View from Vaekero near Christiania, 1827, oil on canvas, Patrons' Permanent Fund, 1999.99.1

View from Vaekero near Christiania

Johan Christian Dahl · 1827 · oil on canvas ·  Accession ID  1999.99.1

The image shows a sketch of seven individuals with full bodies visible. There is a standing man reading from a piece of paper on the left, a seated woman holding an infant next to him, and another seated man gesturing with a bottle. Three women stand behind them. The background is a plain, lightly shaded indoor setting.
Johan Christian Dahl, The Nauwerk Family, 1819, pen and brown ink over graphite on laid paper, Julius S. Held Collection, 1984.1.4

The Nauwerk Family

Johan Christian Dahl · 1819 · pen and brown ink over graphite on laid paper ·  Accession ID  1984.1.4

The image shows a seascape with detailed line work and etching. The view is from the shoreline, capturing turbulent seas crashing against cliffs on the left. The horizon is low, with swirling clouds in the sky. In the distance to the right, a rocky formation is visible in the water. The etching technique depicts the texture of the sea and cliffs with dense strokes. The monochromatic palette of blacks and grays intensifies the contrast between the sea and the sky.
Johan Christian Dahl, Norwegian Coast During a Storm, 1819, etching with bitten tone on wove paper, Epstein Family Fund, 1992.50.1

Norwegian Coast During a Storm

Johan Christian Dahl · 1819 · etching with bitten tone on wove paper ·  Accession ID  1992.50.1