Artwork
Ice Pack near Taarbæk, North of Copenhagen
Ice Pack near Taarbæk, North of Copenhagen is an unspecified painting by Vilhelm Kyhn. It dates from 1853 and is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The painting depicts a winter coastal scene near Taarbæk, north of Copenhagen, characterized by a frozen expanse of ice on the water and along the shoreline.
The painting depicts a winter coastal scene near Taarbæk, north of Copenhagen, characterized by a frozen expanse of ice on the water and along the shoreline. Kyhn’s rendering emphasizes the stark, reflective quality of ice under a muted winter sky, capturing the quiet stillness of the landscape during a season of stillness and cold. The work foregrounds the interplay of natural light and surface texture, using the ice as both a physical presence and a metaphorical element, suggesting endurance, transience, and the quiet beauty of the Danish winter.
As a genre scene, it belongs to a tradition of Danish landscape painting that sought to document local environments and seasonal changes with a sense of quiet observation rather than dramatic incident.
History & Provenance
The landscape painting titled Ice Pack near Taarbæk, North of Copenhagen was created by the Danish artist Vilhelm Kyhn in 1853. The work depicts a coastal scene featuring ice and a beach. It is currently held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst, where it remains part of the institution's holdings.
No specific details regarding a commissioner or an intermediate ownership chain prior to its museum acquisition are provided in the available records.
Ice Pack near Taarbæk, North of Copenhagen, painted by Danish artist Vilhelm Kyhn in 1853, is part of the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst in Copenhagen. The work was created as a landscape depiction of ice and beach near Taarbæk, north of Copenhagen, and has remained in the museum's holdings since its acquisition. Its dimensions measure 24 cm in height and 31 cm in width.
Overview
Vilhelm Kyhn’s 1853 oil on canvas captures a winter coastline north of Copenhagen, where the sea is hemmed in by thick ice and snow. The composition presents a muted horizon, a sky of soft gray, and a shoreline strewn with block‑like ice formations, while a few leafless trees cling to the frozen ground.
Technique & Style
Executed in a realistic manner, the work relies on a limited palette of whites, grays, and muted earth tones. Kyhn renders the ice with careful modeling that suggests solidity and translucence, while the sky and snow are blended to create a seamless transition, reflecting the artist’s adherence to the naturalist tradition of the mid‑nineteenth century.
Context
Kyhn belonged to the generation that followed the Danish Golden Age, maintaining a conventional approach despite the rise of newer artistic movements. Beyond his paintings, he was active in art education, establishing alternative schools, including one dedicated to women artists, reflecting his commitment to expanding artistic training in Denmark.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Peter Vilhelm Carl Kyhn (March 30, 1819 – May 11, 1903) was a Danish landscape painter who belonged to the generation of national romantic painters immediately after the Danish Golden Age and before the Modern Breakthrough.
