Schwanenflug über der Nordsee (Swans in Flight over the North Sea)

Visual Description

A mute swan glides with wings spread wide just above the foaming surf of the North Sea. The low light colors feathers and clouds in warm gold, and the waves break in transparent green. Neck and head are elegantly stretched forward.

Artistic Interpretation

The swan, usually a symbol of calm grace, shows itself here in full strength and motion. The picture combines elegance with determination and tells of departure and expanse. It is the moving counterpart to Graf’s “In the evening light.”

Art-Historical Context

Graf’s depiction combines the tradition of marine painting with the precise observation of wildlife art. The exact rendering of the feather structure against the light and the transparency of the waves show his mastery of the craft.

Exclusivity

A large-format oil painting (80 × 100 cm) of great luminosity. The light in the feathers and the spray of the surf in particular are painted with fine glazes and impasto accents.

Collector Value

A work for bright, open spaces: living rooms with a view into the distance, coastal hotels, practices and offices. Ideal for collectors who value maritime motifs and nature painting.

More About the Artist

Erich Graf is one of Germany’s most distinguished wildlife and landscape painters and, for more than four decades, has created richly detailed, atmospheric paintings of animals, nature and cultural scenes. Internationally exhibited and collected—named among the “world’s best animal painters” by Wildlife Art Magazine in 2025—his works are sought after as far as royal households.

Condition Report

Original from the artist’s studio, signed. A detailed condition report with close-up photos is available on request before purchase.