Johannes Larsen (1867–1961)
King Hill, 1907
Pencil and watercolour on paper

In May 1907, Johannes Larsen travelled to the United States with his family: his wife Alhed Larsen (1872–1927) and their two sons, Andreas and Johan, then aged eight and six. Besides a prolonged visit to Boston, their trip was primarily intended as a time of study and painting for both Alhed and Johannes Larsen. During their six months in the states, they visited several museums and art collections in Boston and New York and they both worked diligently on creating their own work.¹

Toward the end of August, Alhed and Johannes Larsen set out alone on a kind of wilderness expedition into the deep forests of the state of Vermont, where they hiked on foot, took the steamer up the river, and sailed in a canoe.² Johannes Larsen avidly absorbed the many impressions of nature received along the way, recording them in his sketchbooks as well as in larger watercolours. King Hill is one example. Here he has depicted the view from the ridge known as King Hill. The vista shows a lush landscape with a large forest area, cultivated fields and mountains in the distance, presumably Mount Kearsarge.

Although Johannes Larsen was far away from the Danish countryside he knew so well and from his familiar environment in Kerteminde, he approached the very different American natural settings with great energy and enthusiasm. King Hill testifies to the artist’s excellent understanding of the elements, shapes and colours of nature, enabling him to soberly capture the grandeur of the landscape.