The consummate workmanship of Emil Carlsen in covering a canvas with
pigments gives the illusion of appealing to more senses than the sense of
vision. The delicious handling of color and the creamy texture of his
paint seem to tickle the palate and to please the finger tips. The Open
Sea is the sea at its most alluring. A fair breeze gives the water
vivacity without making it threaten. It seems friendly, with its subtle
endless shifting of blues and pale greens; one’s face welcomes the dash of
spray from the crest of such a wave.
Emil Carlsen was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1853, and came to America
in 1872. He studied architecture in his native city, but subsequently
devoted himself to painting, in which he soon achieved unusual success.
He has received many awards and is represented in the Metropolitan Museum,
the National Gallery in Washington, and other important collections.
A Woodland Interior in the Institute’s collection is another work by
Carlsen, revealing similar charms to those found in The Open Sea.—The
Martin B. Koon Memorial Collection.
[The Yellow Flower. Albert Reid, 1863-]