Andreas Martin Andersen (Bergen, Norway, 1869 - 1902, Boston)
Surge of the Sea, about 1900
Oil on canvas , 31 x 49 cm (12 3/16 x 19 5/16 in.)
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This horizontal oil painting titled Surge of the Sea, by Andreas Martin Andersen, shows a colorful view of the ocean’s movement. In the foreground on both the left and the right, and in the background on the left, are outcroppings of rock. The rock surfaces are multi-colored, brushed in shades of reds, blues, and yellows. Between the rocks, in the center of the canvas, is a swirl of churning water. Turquoise blue shows through the turbulence of white spray. Moving into the background, the calmer sea is shown in shades of turquoise with touches of black, white, and yellow.
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Commentary
Andreas Martin Andersen likely painted this seascape in Newport, Rhode Island, where his family settled in 1873 after emigrating from Norway. Isabella supported many young artists and acquired four paintings and one drawing by Andersen. In one of Andersen's letters to Isabella, he invited her to his studio in Newport where perhaps they admired the ocean waves together. Tragically Andersen contracted tuberculosis in 1902 and died at the age of 33.