Black Cliffs in Storm - Arwid Karlsson - 104 x 52 cm

A forceful seascape in Karlsson’s characteristic reductive style: angular rock formations rendered in dark olive and near-black, set against churning surf in white and cold teal.

The composition is emphatically horizontal — the panoramic format amplifying the sense of exposed coastline battered by wind and water. The low, heavy sky presses down in muted blue-grey, and the horizon line is razor-thin between sea and storm.

What makes this painting work is Karlsson’s economy. The rocks are built from flat, geometric planes rather than observed detail, yet they read as completely convincing — solid, mossy, immovable. The breaking waves, by contrast, are almost gestural: loose, fast strokes that catch the chaos of water against stone.

The painting has been professionally cleaned and is presented in a well-chosen silver vintage wood frame with white liner — restrained and contemporary enough not to compete with the work.

Both painting and frame are in excellent vintage condition. Study the photos closely; they are the most accurate description.

Size: 104 x 52 cm (with frame)

About the artist:

Karlsson studied at the Adadémie de la Grande Chaumière in Paris and Académie Scandinave Maison Watteau. He exhibited in the Mälmo Museum and Stockholm and his work is represented in the Mälmo City Hall. His work consits of still lifes, portraits and (coastal) landscapes. Karlsson also taught at Essem School of painting in Mälmo.