Lighthouse on the Norwegian Coast
- Artist: Peder Balke
- Creation date: 1850–1860
About
Peder Balke was a student of J.C. Dahl in Dresden in 1836 and 1843–44. He was a trained decorative painter before embarking on his training as an artist, and throughout his career he worked in parallel in both fields.
Balke’s artistic style evolved in a different direction from that of his colleagues. It was likely his background as a decorative painter that inspired him to liberate himself from the prevailing emphasis on detailed precision, as often executed with extremely thin brushes. Balke’s paintings clearly show exactly how he added paint to the canvas, whether through brushes, palette knives, or even his fingers; there is a dearth of detail, and the colour scheme is sparse and harmonious. In Lighthouse on the Norwegian Coast, the picture’s equilibrium is maintained by an approximately 1:3 ratio between light and darkness. To the left, the darkness is levelled by a narrow stripe of red in the transition to the light area. Many of Balke’s paintings deal with natural formations and phenomena. In this picture, it is the contrast between the long, uniform beach and the vertical lighthouse that bears the composition. Two boats got caught up in the storm that is now moving on, and one of them lies on a bank not far from the lighthouse – the forces of nature are all-powerful, as frequently underscored in nineteenth-century romantic painting.
Balke was one of the first Norwegian artists to travel north of the city of Trondheim, in fact travelling all the way to the northernmost parts of Finnmark. Lighthouse on the Norwegian Coast featured on the Norwegian 1000-krone banknote from 1975 to 1987.
- Creation date:
- 1850–1860
- Other titles:
- Fyr på den norske kyst (NOR)
- Object type:
- Painting
- Materials and techniques:
- Olje på lerret oppklebet på lamellplate
- Material:
- Plate, Canvas
- Dimensions:
- Height: 58.3 cm
- Width: 70.8 cm
- Depth: 2 cm
- Keywords:
- Visual art
- Classification:
- 532 - Bildende kunst
- Motif:
- Landscape
- Inventory no.:
- NG.M.01320
- Cataloguing level:
- Single object
- Acquisition:
- Kjøpt for J.H. Beers legat 1924
- Owner and collection:
- Nasjonalmuseet for kunst, arkitektur og design, The Fine Art Collections
- Photo:
- Børre Høstland/Lathion, Jacques
Nasjonalmuseet's collection catalogue is a living resource of information gathered since the 1830's. Some records may contain language or ideas that today could be perceived as outdated, offensive or discriminatory with regard to for instance gender, sexuality, ethnicity or disability, and that may be at odds with the museum's values regarding equality and diversity.
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Other works by Peder Balke
Stetind med bjørkPeder Balke1864
From the CoastPeder BalkeAntagelig 1860-tallet
Coastal LandscapePeder BalkeAntagelig 1860-tallet
LandscapePeder BalkeCa. 1870
A WaterfallPeder Balkeantagelig 1860-tallet
View of GrimstadPeder Balke1875
Northern Lights over Coastal LandscapePeder Balke1870-årene
Vardøhus FortressPeder BalkeCa. 1870
Stetind in FogPeder Balke1864
Coastal LandscapePeder BalkeAntakelig 1860-årene
The LighthousePeder Balke1845
SnowfieldPeder BalkeCa. 1870

















































