Artwork
A Cowshed
A Cowshed is an oil painting by the Impressionist artist Viggo Johansen. It dates from 1898 and is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The composition centers on the animals’ quiet presence rather than dramatic action, aligning with late nineteenth-century Danish interest in rural realism.
The painting depicts an interior view of a cowshed populated by several cattle, arranged in a loose, naturalistic grouping that emphasizes their domestic setting. The composition centers on the animals’ quiet presence rather than dramatic action, aligning with late nineteenth-century Danish interest in rural realism. Through the careful rendering of textures, from the animals’ coats to the rough wooden beams and scattered straw, Johansen conveys the everyday labor and simplicity of farm life.
The scene’s subdued palette and unidealized portrayal reflect a broader cultural turn toward depicting humble, overlooked aspects of domestic existence in Scandinavian art of the period.
Technique & Style
Created in 1894, A Cowshed is an oil painting executed on a canvas support. The work measures 63.5 cm in height and 84.5 cm in width, presenting a scene of cattle within a cowshed. Classified as animal art, the piece employs oil paint to depict its subject matter, reflecting the artist's engagement with rural and livestock themes. The painting is currently held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst.
History & Provenance
Viggo Johansen executed the oil painting A Cowshed in 1894. Created on canvas, the work depicts a rural scene featuring a cowshed and cattle. The artwork entered the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst, where it remains housed.
No specific details regarding the original commission or intermediate ownership transfers prior to its acquisition by the museum are provided in the available records.
Viggo Johansen's oil painting A Cowshed, created in 1894, is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst. The work is cataloged within the museum's holdings as an example of animal art depicting a cowshed and cattle. While the painting's physical dimensions are recorded as 635 mm in height and 845 mm in width, the provided sources do not list a specific inventory or accession number.
Furthermore, no exhibition history or past display dates for this specific work are documented in the available records.
Overview
Viggo Johansen’s oil painting A Cowshed was completed in 1898. The work belongs to the Danish artist’s mature period, when he was a prominent figure among the Skagen Painters. It is part of the permanent collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst, Denmark’s national gallery.
Artist & collection
Artist
Viggo Johansen (3 January 1851 – 18 December 1935) was a Danish painter and active member of the group of Skagen Painters who met every summer in the north of Jutland. He was one of Denmark's most prominent painters in the 1890s.
