Ships at Anchor. Winter

Prince Eugen has painted the view from his home with a strong intensity of colour and atmosphere. Twilight scenes such as these won Prince Eugen a central position within the Nordic art of the period.

The scene is from the skerries of Stockholm. From the rocks by Prince Eugen’s home, Waldemarsudde, we see the view across the water towards Stockholm. It is winter, and the ships are anchored in the harbour. This atmospheric landscape is typical of Prince Eugen’s paintings from the decades around 1900. The motifs typically take their point of departure in a recognisable setting, but the main point of the works resides in how they convey a particular dense atmosphere, often imbued with an ethereal mystique and intensity of colour.

With his twilight landscapes and nocturnal scenes Prince Eugen occupied a central position within the Nordic art of the time. He was also a leading figure on the Swedish art scene. Brother to the King, he was an active patron and collector of art and had close links to Denmark and Danish artists such as L.A. Ring, Hammershøi, and the artist brothers Niels and Joakim Skovgaard.