Janus la Cour
Helgenæs Coast with Stones, 1875
Oil on canvas, 45,5 × 66,5 cm
Inventory Number: 0270NMK
Donated by Christoph Müller Foundation, 2025

On a summer’s day in 1875, Janus la Cour has ventured to the coast at Helgenæs on the Djursland peninsula. His gaze follows the curve of the shoreline towards the grassy steep coast that rises beneath the bright blue sky. The foreground – sand, stones, and washed-up seaweed – takes up a significant portion of the canvas and is rendered with great care. In 1861, Janus la Cour moved in with the Skovgaard family in fellow artist P.C. Skovgaard’s newly built house on Rosenvænget in the Østerbro district of Copenhagen. Yet despite living there until 1884, la Cour rarely turned Copenhagen or its environs into subjects for his art. Instead, year after year, he made the familiar journey back to his native East Jutland coastline, painting the landscapes he knew best and loved most.