Antique Original Impressionist Oil Painting On Canvas By Arv. Johansson

Impressionist – Original antique oil on canvas

Nocturnal seascape with a full moon

Circa 1890

Signed: Arv. Johansson (lower left)

Dimensions: 60 × 73 cm (23.6 × 28.7 inches)

Frame: 75 × 83 cm (29.5 × 32.6 inches)

Beautiful large painting. Signed Arv. Johansson. A nighttime seascape featuring a full moon and a fishing boat.

Good vintage condition.

About the artist

(Arvid Claes William Johanson, 1862–1923)

• Born on May 29, 1862, in Stockholm (Södermalm district, Sweden).

• Died on March 25, 1923, in Paris (France).

• Nationality: Swedish by birth; he spent most of his life in France and was considered a Swedish-French artist.

Son of a marine painter (his father served in the Swedish Navy). Surrounded by maritime themes from childhood, this shaped his career. Some sources suggest that he may have been a sailor in his youth, which would have allowed him to develop a deep understanding of the sea.

• He began his studies at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Stockholm.

• In 1882, he moved to Düsseldorf (Germany) to continue his studies.

• He also studied in The Hague under the famous Dutch marine painter Hendrik Willem Mesdag.
• Later, he honed his skills in Paris.
Johansson specialized in seascapes (marinas): ships, warships, ports, coastlines, night scenes with the moon, and the play of light on the water. His style was realistic with Impressionist influences: a precise rendering of the ships’ details, the movement of the water, and the atmosphere, yet with a poetic touch and a keen attention to light.
From 1892 onward, he lived primarily in Paris. He became a well-known illustrator for French magazines (Le Monde illustré, Le Journal, L’Illustration) and English publications. As an illustrator, he accompanied expeditions of the French navy.
In 1897–1898, he received the official title of “Peintre de la Marine” (Artist of the French Navy / Peintre du ministère de la marine). This allowed him to paint commissioned works for the French Navy, particularly battleships and torpedo boats. He masterfully captured the movement of modern warships.
Beginning in 1907, he spent every summer on the west coast of Sweden (Bohuslän), where he painted coastal scenes.
During World War I, he was unable to return to France and lived in Sweden; after the war, he returned to Paris.
• In 1900, one of his paintings won a medal at the World’s Fair in Paris.
• His works have been exhibited in France, Gothenburg (Valand Academy), and Stockholm.
• His works are held in major museums:
• Nationalmuseum (Stockholm)
• Göteborgs Konstmuseum (Gothenburg)
• Musée national de la Marine (Paris)
• Marinmuseum (Karlskrona)
• Sjöhistoriska museet (Stockholm)

General price range (based on sales from the 2010s to the present):
• Typical small/medium-sized works: €500–4,000
• High-quality, medium-sized seascapes: €3,000–8,000.
• Top sales (large, impressive canvases): up to $10,000–$13,900 (approximately €10,000–€13,000).
Record price (since 2010): $13,916 (~€12,800 at the time of sale) for the painting “Sunset over calm waters” (dimensions approx. 70 × 105 cm), sold at Christie’s South Kensington in 2017.