Willy Bille, Nocturne with Harbour & Moored Vessels - Antique Oil Painting

1900 - 1920

Sold by Brave Fine Art

Description

This enriching early 20th-century nocturne by Danish artist Willy Bille (1889-1944) depicts a harbour under moonlight. It’s a jutting combination of forms with a contradictory emphasis on the absence of light. The lack of contrast brings the buildings together, which quietly stand behind the subtle silhouette of a moored fishing boat. The composition asks questions, pulls you in.

Willy Bille was the product of a proud family of marine painters. His father, Vilhelm, and grandfather, Carl Ludwig, were also well versed in the tales of the sea. But Willy, unlike his elders, sought to add more expression to his works - he was inspired by the ever-evolving scene in Paris. Note how he combines the two worlds - a traditional subject that evokes the formality of 19th-century marine paintings with a looser, more spirited, approach to brushwork. It’s interesting to imagine the conversations he had with his father.

Signed and framed.

Learn more about Willy Bille in our directory.

Medium: Oil on canvas

Overall size: 30” x 24½” / 77cm x 62cm

Year of creation: c. 1920

Condition: Artwork presents well. Frame with some light wear.

Physical Dimensions

Height

62cm (24.41")

Width

77cm (30.31")

Depth

4cm (1.57")

Declaration

Brave Fine Art has dated this piece to the 1920s.

Reference Numbers

Sellingantiques Reference

SA928290

Description

“

The lack of contrast brings the buildings together, which quietly stand behind the subtle silhouette of a moored fishing boat.

Brave Fine Art

The composition asks questions, pulls you in.

fig 1. Willy Bille, Nocturne With Harbour & Moored Vessels - Antique Oil Painting — fig 1. Willy Bille, Nocturne with Harbour & Moored Vessels - Antique Oil Painting

Willy Bille was the product of a proud family of marine painters. His father, Vilhelm, and grandfather, Carl Ludwig, were also well versed in the tales of the sea. But Willy, unlike his elders, sought to add more expression to his works - he was inspired by the ever-evolving scene in Paris. Note how he combines the two worlds - a traditional subject that evokes the formality of 19th-century marine paintings with a looser, more spirited, approach to brushwork. It’s interesting to imagine the conversations he had with his father.