Trip to The MET: Copenhagen Harbor by Moonlight

A few months ago, I took a trip to NYC and spent a morning at The MET. I will be blogging a six-part series analyzing works that caught my eye and why. 

Copenhagen Harbor by Moonlight (Johan Christian Dahl, Norwegian, 1846)

This is a mid-19th-century oil painting by Norwegian artist Johan Christian Dahl. The painting depicts the Copenhagen waterfront at night. A renowned painter of landscapes, Johan Christian Dahl painted several harbor scenes at night.

The painting showcases Dahl’s particular mastery of lighting. The light itself leads the viewer through the composition, starting with the moon at the center, then down to the water, eventually bouncing off the various figures and buildings. As a viewer, we get a sense of the figures hard at work on the dock and in their boats. The section that stood out to me in particular was the tall building on the far right of the page; the light reflecting off the side is subtle yet powerful.