Visual Arts

Not until 1965 did Norwegian artists terminate their close links with the French tradition, paying closer attention to developments in other countries such Britain and the United States. During the late 1960s Håkon Bleken (b1929) and Knut Rose (b1936) both worked with the problem of transforming the hitherto strict Norwegian painting structure into a more figurative and literary technique. Read more

The experiences of World War II had only a brief impact on the work of young, politicallyorientated Norwegian painters, and soon after the war they joined an international wave of abstract and non-figurative painting. The postwar generation used expressions completely freed of any boundaries, which had proved to be misused by Nazis and Facists. Read more

After the turn of the century Norwegian contemporary painting was closely linked with that of France, a connection which was to last until the 1960s. This was apparent in the works of Thorvald Erichsen, whose light, colourful and intense paintings were probably influenced by Bonnard, thus forming the greatest possible contrast to Norwegian Realism. Read more

The 19th century marked the beginning of a new era for the art of painting in Norway. At the turn of the century portraits were extremely fashionable amongst the higher echelons of society and numerous Norwegian portrait painters made a living from painting the rich and powerful. Read more

Graphic art did not develop in Norway until 1895, when Edvard Munch began to use various techniques, including wood-print, etching and lithography. His work was not immediately recognised in Norway due to the fact that he lived overseas, so that his graphic art techniques had no influence on the work of his fellow Norwegian artists. Read more

For a few years in the late 1870s Munich briefly became the base of a group of young Norwegian artists who were to make an important contribution as Realists – these included Hans Heyerdahl (1857-1913), Kitty L Kielland (1843-1924), Harriet Backer (1845-1932), Erik Werenskiold (1855-1938), Christian Skredsvig (1854-1924), Theodor Kittelsen (1857-1914) and Gerhard Munthe (1849-1929). During the... Read more

When Dresden lost its significance as the spiritual centre of Germany during the 1830s, the Norwegian artists following J C Dahl found their new centre in Düsseldorf. This generation, ‘the Düsseldorfers’, made painting accessible to the Norwegian public and their work became known in Norwegian tradition as National Romanticism. Read more