Theodor Philipsen (1840–1920)
Stampede Weather, 1909
Oil on canvas

The small island of Saltholm in Øresund was an inexhaustible source of inspiration for Theodor Philipsen. Large herds of cattle from the farms on Amager were ferried over to the island, where they could roam freely during the summer months. Grazing livestock played the lead role in this distinctive circle of subject matter, which is today considered the undisputed acme of Philipsen’s art; a theme developed in step with his adoption of the Impressionist technique.

Philipsen found the subject of Stampede Weather on Saltholm, where geese, cows, horses and seagulls can all be seen in the flat island landscape. The most expressive element of the picture is the two cows to the left in the foreground, which appear to have noticed the painter’s presence and turned their gaze towards him. Also striking are the running cows in the picture’s middle distance as well as their shadows on the surface of the water, which add a prominent diagonal movement and sense of depth ending at the group of cows on the islets on the horizon. Finally, Stampede Weather exudes a sense of unrest and turmoil, felt in the drifting clouds in the sky, the patterns forming on the water and among the stampeding animals.

Stampede Weather was not painted out of doors, but back at Philipsen’s studio, as is evident from its careful composition and high degree of finish.¹ There is nothing to suggest that it was painted by an artist who was, by this time, severely afflicted by impaired vision.