Fishermen gathering seaweed on Hornbæk beach. Signed Carl Locher Hornbæk 85. Oil on canvas. 97×148 cm.

Fishermen gathering seaweed on Hornbæk beach. Signed Carl Locher Hornbæk 85. Oil on canvas. 97×148 cm. Provenance: Bruun Rasmussen auction 750, 2005 no. 1074, illustrated p. 71. Likely the painting exhibited at Charlottenborg in 1885 as no. 255 with the title “Fra Hornbæk Strand ved Lavvande. Efteraar”. Carl Locher, like the other Skagen painters, was interested in depicting nature and everyday life. Carl Locher's fascination with ships and, in particular, the sea made him feel more at home among the fishermen than with his fellow artists. The picture from Hornbæk beach clearly shows the French influence from the years 1875–76 and 1878–79, when Carl Locher was on a study trip to Paris and received instruction from Léon Bonnat (1833–1922), and became acquainted with older French artists such as Gustav Courbet (1819–1877) and Camille Corot (1796–1875). The time in Paris was a turning point in Carl Locher's artistic career, where he abandoned the classical style of painting in favor of looser brushstrokes. Like many other European artists of the time, Carl Locher also felt attracted by the very special light of the Mediterranean countries, which is reflected in this painting.