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The North Cape

Peder Balke Norwegian
1853
Not on view
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.
By the time Balke executed this work, dated 1853 at the lower right, the North Cape had become a signature image. He employed his materials cannily: the smooth paper support is well suited to the flatly applied, gradated tones of the sky, which is clear, save for the quickly worked clouds that form a dome with the moon as its keystone. The cape’s massif appears as a single broad horizontal stroke of dark gray paint, with visible brush marks that contribute a subtle note of texture. This restraint was abandoned through the use of bolder impasto for the snowy crags and the surface of the water.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: The North Cape
  • Artist: Peder Balke (Norwegian, Helgøya, Nes 1804–1887 Oslo (Kristiania))
  • Date: 1853
  • Medium: Oil on paper, laid down on board
  • Dimensions: 14 13/16 × 19 7/8 in. (37.6 × 50.5 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Collection of Mickey Cartin, courtesy of Daxer & Marschall, Munich
  • Curatorial Department: European Paintings