I. E. C. Rasmussen (b. Ærøskøbing 1841, d. The Atlantic Ocean 1893)

I. E. C. Rasmussen (b. Ærøskøbing 1841, d. The Atlantic Ocean 1893)

A sailing ship off Greenland in sunset. Signed and dated C. Rasmussen 1875. Oil on canvas laid on board. 54×85 cm.

Jens Erik Carl Rasmussen, better known as the Greenland Painter J.E.C. Rasmussen, occupies a unique position in Danish art history. In contrast to most of his contemporary fellow artists, who sought inspiration and the latest artistic currents to the south—most notably in Paris—Rasmussen turned to the north.

In the years 1870–71, he spent nearly a year in Greenland, an experience that left an indelible mark on him. The vast, rugged landscape, along with the indigenous population and their way of life, became recurring and defining motifs in his art.

Particularly revealing are Rasmussen’s own reflections on the contrast between Paris, the metropolis of art, and the sublime nature of Greenland. In a letter written from Paris to his fiancée, Anna Egidia, dated September 1872, he writes (in Danish):

“When one, as I have, has seen the great, exalted, pure nature of Greenland and felt oneself closer to the Creator—moments in which one seemed lifted above the earth and above the petty struggles for existence of civilized life—it becomes exceedingly difficult to feel any true rapture when, as the other day, standing on Montmartre and looking out over Paris, half concealed by the fumes of its gutters and kitchens, mingled with the endless smoke and dust that hang over the entire city, whatever the weather may be. I felt, as I usually do on this journey, quite unwell, and wished only that instead of this magnificent city I had the sea lying before me.” (Karsten Hermansen, “... saa maler jeg, hvad jeg har set - Jens Erik Carl Rasmussen (1841–1893)”, 2016 p. 54).

Category: Paintings

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