Art Institute of Chicago

Nantasket Beach

Emil Carlsen (American, born Denmark, 1853-1932)

Date

1876

Medium

Oil on canvas

Culture

United States

Department

Arts of the Americas

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

Emil Carlsen combined naturalism with a bright, light-filled palette, creating a seascape that harmonizes academic painting and Impressionism. Blue sky and white clouds fill much of the canvas. The scene portrays a leisurely moment: two figures rest in the sand and look out at the rolling waves while a woman with a parasol walks along the water’s edge. Seaside tourism in New England—a subject portrayed here by Carlsen and, more famously, by Winslow Homer (on view nearby)—increased in popularity during the late 19th century, offering a respite from growing industrialism. Trained in architecture in Copenhagen, Carlsen immigrated in 1872 to Chicago, shifting his focus to painting. After further study in Paris, he relocated to Boston in 1876, the year he executed this work.

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