Freshening Clouds 

Albert Julius Olsson painted this seascape, ‘Freshening Clouds’, in England at some point in his lifetime between 1864 and 1942. The painting evokes the Romantic tradition of British landscape painting, where nature is seen as sublime and awe-inspiring. Olsson's seascapes, often depicting moonlight scenes, were popular during his lifetime. He was part of a broader artistic trend that saw the landscape as a source of national identity and spiritual renewal. The scene, the sea, becomes more than just a backdrop; it's a stage for the human drama of survival and exploration. A drama which, by the late nineteenth century, was under threat from the forces of industrialisation. We may ask if Olsson's picture represents a conservative yearning for a pre-industrial past. Or, perhaps, it reflects more progressive concerns about the impact of industry on the natural world? To understand Olsson's work, one might look to the exhibition histories of the Royal Academy, where he frequently showed his paintings. This kind of research allows us to understand the social and institutional contexts that shaped his artistic production.