1935 Oil Painting by Ernst Hansen

Ernst Hansen (1882 – 1968) was a Danish painter. He studied art in Aarhus, where some of his pieces, particularly his drawings and etchings, remain today. He participated in a range of exhibitions during his lifetime, including in Denmark, Italy, the USA, and France. Notably, he participated in the painting event at the art competition at the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. 

His extant works today include drawings, linocuts, etchings, and paintings. His illustrative sensibilities can be felt strongly in this piece, which is playful both in subject matter and in execution. The contrasting colours of the scalloped sea in the background are almost carnivalesque, and the bold lines and shapes veer into the figurative and fanciful.