Peder Balke (1804-87) is one of the most important Norwegian painters of the 1800s. His main education took place in Oslo, Stockholm and Dresden, but he also studied in Copenhagen in 1830, where he met many of the painters of the Danish Golden Age. SMK, which has the biggest collection of Danish Golden Age art as well as the biggest collection of works by the Norwegian painter J.C. Dahl outside Norway, strives to expand its representation of contemporary Scandinavian painters, including Peder Balke.

Because Peder Balke’s work is in such high demand internationally, however, his paintings are not within easy reach. Funds from the New Carlsberg Foundation enabled the museum to purchase the small but interesting painting Oprørt hav med dampskib i havsnød [Heaving sea with steamship in distress].

‘The painting shows Peder Balke at his very best: a dramatic motif, which is given a vibrant treatment thanks to his vivid and brilliant brushwork,’ says Peter Nørgaard-Larsen, director of Collections and Research at SMK.

Ships in distress were a common theme at the time, especially in Norwegian art, says Peter Nørgaard-Larsen, who explains that this painting reveals much about Peder Balke’s artistic method:

‘His previous experience as a decoration painter is evident in an unconventional, free approach that is both very decorative and highly expressive. His artistic effects were unheard of at the time and placed him far ahead of his contemporaries. His unique artistic background may also play a role in his characteristic use of a very limited colour scale dominated by grey, white and brown. The painting is not very big in scale, but the motif is so distinctive that it has been given a prominent placement at the museum in the hall with the romantic landscapes of the Golden Age.’