Portrett av Erik Werenskiold, 1880(cropped)

Erik Theodor Werenskiold (11 February 1855 – 23 November 1938) was a

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe * Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway * Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including ...

painter Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ai ...

and

illustrator An illustrator is an artist who specializes in enhancing writing or elucidating concepts by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text or idea. The illustration may be intended to clarify complicat ...

. He is especially known for his drawings for the Asbjørnsen and Moe collection of ''

Norske Folkeeventyr ''Norwegian Folktales'' ( no, Norske folkeeventyr) is a collection of Norwegian folktales and legends by Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Moe. It is also known as ''Asbjørnsen and Moe'', after the collectors. Asbjørnsen and Moe Asbj ...

'', and his

illustration An illustration is a decoration, interpretation or visual explanation of a text, concept or process, designed for integration in print and digital published media, such as posters, flyers, magazines, books, teaching materials, animations, vid ...

s for the Norwegian edition of the Snorri Sturlason ''

Heimskringla ''Heimskringla'' () is the best known of the Old Norse kings' sagas. It was written in Old Norse in Iceland by the poet and historian Snorre Sturlason (1178/79–1241) 1230. The name ''Heimskringla'' was first used in the 17th century, derived ...

''.

Background

Erik Theodor Werenskiold was born in

Eidskog Eidskog is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Vinger. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Skotterud. Other villages in the municipality include Magnor, Matrand, an ...

, at Granli gaard, southeast of

Kongsvinger Kongsvinger () is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Glåmdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Kongsvinger. Other settlements in the municipality include Aust ...

Hedmark Hedmark () was a county in Norway before 1 January 2020, bordering Trøndelag to the north, Oppland to the west, Akershus to the south, and Sweden to the east. The county administration is in Hamar. Hedmark and Oppland counties were merged i ...

county,

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

. He lived his first four years there with his family, until they moved to Kongsvinger. Werenskiold grew up in

Kongsvinger Fortress Kongsvinger Fortress ( no, Kongsvinger festning) is located in the city and municipality of Kongsvinger in the county of Hedmark, Norway. It is situated on a hill west and north of the Glomma river, standing astride the ancient Vinger Royal Road, ...

as the fourth son of the commander. He attended the Kongsvinger national school and then in the three years 1869-72 was at the privately owned Latin school operated by Harald Aars and Peter Voss (''Aars og Voss' skole'') in Christiania. Based on advice from the painter

Adolph Tidemand Adolph Tidemand (14 August 18148 August 1876) was a noted Norwegian romantic nationalism painter. Among his best known paintings are ''Haugianerne'' (''The Haugeans''; 1852) and '' Brudeferd i Hardanger'' (''The Bridal Procession in Hardanger'' ...

, he attended a college for painters. During 1873, he was a pupil of Norwegian sculptor, Julius Middelthun (1820–1886), at the Drawing School in Christiania (''Tegneskolen i Kristiania''). He studied for a short time at the studio of artist,

Axel Ender Axel Hjalmar Ender (14 September 1853- 10 September 1920) was a Norwegian painter and sculptor, remembered primarily for his genre painting . Biography Ender was born to a farming family at Asker in Akershus, Norway. He began his art studies f ...

in the autumn of 1875.

Career

He went to

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...

where he stayed for four years. His meeting with the French plein air painting, particularly

Charles-François Daubigny Charles-François Daubigny ( , , ; 15 February 181719 February 1878) was a French painter, one of the members of the Barbizon school, and is considered an important precursor of impressionism. He was also a prolific printmaker, mostly in etchin ...

, at a French art show in Munich in 1879, convinced Werenskiold of its superiority over the German studio painting. In the spring of 1880, Werenskiold was paralyzed in the right arm. After half a year of hospitalization and recreation in Switzerland at

Oberbayern Upper Bavaria (german: Oberbayern, ; ) is one of the seven administrative districts of Bavaria, Germany. Geography Upper Bavaria is located in the southern portion of Bavaria, and is centered on the city of Munich, both state capital and seat o ...

and

Tyrol Tyrol (; historically the Tyrole; de-AT, Tirol ; it, Tirolo) is a historical region in the Alps - in Northern Italy and western Austria. The area was historically the core of the County of Tyrol, part of the Holy Roman Empire, Austrian Emp ...

, he finally regained his health. From 1881-83 he lived in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

. In 1883, Werenskiold returned to Norway where he spent the summers in

Telemark Telemark is a traditional region, a former county, and a current electoral district in southern Norway. In 2020, Telemark merged with the former county of Vestfold to form the county of Vestfold og Telemark. Telemark borders the traditional ...

. He returned to France in 1884–1885 and studied with

Léon Bonnat Léon Joseph Florentin Bonnat (20 June 1833 – 8 September 1922) was a French painter, Grand Officer of the Légion d'honneur and professor at the Ecole des Beaux Arts. Early life Bonnat was born in Bayonne, but from 1846 to 1853 he lived in M ...

(1888–89). In the spring of 1895 he made a study trip to

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

and

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...

. He made several paintings of peasants in landscapes. Illustrations for Norwegian fairy tales had interested him since his time in Munich, and he now got the opportunity to illustrate Norwegian fairy tales together with

Theodor Kittelsen Theodor Severin Kittelsen (27 April 1857 – 21 January 1914) was a Norwegian artist. He is one of the most popular artists in Norway. Kittelsen became famous for his nature paintings, as well as for his illustrations of fairy tales and legend ...

. He illustrated ''Norwegian folktales'' (''Norske Folkeeventyr'') in 1879 and continued with ''Adventure Tales for Children'' (''Eventyrbog for Børn. Norske Folkeeventyr'') by Asbjørnsen and Moe in three volumes during the period 1882–1887. Werenskiold illustrated a new edition of ''King's Sagas'' (''kongesagae'') from

Snorre Sturlason Snorri Sturluson ( ; ; 1179 – 22 September 1241) was an Icelandic historian, poet, and politician. He was elected twice as lawspeaker of the Icelandic parliament, the Althing. He is commonly thought to have authored or compiled portions of the ...

and ''The Family at Gilje'' (''Familjen paa Gilje'') (1903) by Jonas Lie. His wide range of characterized portraits make up an entire pantheon of famous Norwegians from his lifetime. Werenskiold received the Norwegian national artist's salary from 1908. He was appointed Knight of the

Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, Iowa, a ci ...

in 1890, Commander 1905, Commander of the 1st class of 1930 and the Grand Cross 1935. He was also Commander of the

Order of the Dannebrog The Order of the Dannebrog ( da, Dannebrogordenen) is a Danish order of chivalry instituted in 1671 by Christian V. Until 1808, membership in the order was limited to fifty members of noble or royal rank, who formed a single class known a ...

. He died at

Bærum Bærum () is a municipality in the Greater Oslo Region in Norway that forms an affluent suburb of Oslo on the west coast of the city. Bærum is Norway's fifth largest municipality with a population of 128,760 (2021). It is part of the electoral ...

, in

Akershus Akershus () is a traditional region and current electoral district in Norway, with Oslo as its main city and traditional capital. It is named after the Akershus Fortress in Oslo. From the middle ages to 1919, Akershus was a fief and main county ...

county, Norway. He was buried at

Vår Frelsers gravlund The Cemetery of Our Saviour ( no, Vår Frelsers gravlund) is a cemetery in Oslo, Norway, located north of Hammersborg in Gamle Aker district. It is located adjacent to the older Old Aker Cemetery and was created in 1808 as a result of the great ...

Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...

Personal life

He was married to the painter Sophie Marie Stoltenberg Thomesen (1849–1926). He was the brother-in-law of journalist

Fernanda Nissen Petra Gregorine Fernanda Nissen (née Thomesen; 15 August 1862 – 3 April 1920) was a Norwegian journalist, literary critic, theatre critic, politician and feminist pioneer. Early and personal life Fernanda Thomesen was born in Sannidal, as ...

and the son–in-law of Norwegian merchant and politician

Thomes Thomesen Thomes Thomesen (1816–1887) was a Norwegian merchant and politician. He was a merchant, ship-owner and shipbuilder in the town of Kragerø. He was elected to the Norwegian Parliament from the city in 1862, and served one term. He was the brothe ...

. He was the father of geologist

Werner Werenskiold Werner Werenskiold (28 April 1883 – 2 August 1961) was a Norwegian geologist and geographer. He was a son of Erik Werenskiold and visual artist Sophie Marie Stoltenberg Thomesen (1849–1926), and the brother of Dagfin Werenskiold. Werenskiold ...

(1883–1961) and sculptor

Dagfin Werenskiold Dagfin Werenskiold (16 October 1892 – 29 June 1977) was a Norwegian sculptor and painter. He was born in Bærum as son of Norwegian painter and illustrator Erik Werenskiold, and brother of geologist Werner Werenskiold. He first learned drawing ...

(1892–1977).''Dagfin Werenskiold'' (Store norske leksikon)
/ref>

Selected works

File:Erik Werenskiold - September - Google Art Project.jpg, September (1883) File:Gjetere Tåtøy.jpg, Shepherds at Tåtøy (1883) File:Landscape-with-a-Lake.jpg, Landscape with a Lake (1895) File:ErikWerenskiold-858985.jpg, In Family Surroundings (c.1900) File:Erik Werenskiold - Erika Nissen.jpg, Portrait of Erika Nissen (1892) File:Godt Nytaar!, Werenskiold 1890.jpg, Godt Nytaar! (Happy New Year, 1890) File:Werenskiold trolls 1895.jpg, Trolls (1895) File:Portrait of Bjornstjerne Bjornson by Erik Werenskiold - Statens Museum for Kunst - DSC08280.JPG, Portrait of Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson (1895)

Visual art

*''Bærrensere'' (1878) *''Et møte'' (1880) *''Gjetere'' (1882) *''En bondebegravelse'' (1883–85) *''Olivia'' (1891) *''Solstreif'' (1891) *''Lekende barn'' (1892) *''Sommeraften i Kviteseid'' (1893) *''Skysshesten'' (1894) *''Aftenlandskap fra Kviteseid'' (1895) *''Hungersnøden'' (1923 and 1928–29) *''Middagsselskapet'' (1928–30) *''En streikebryter'' ca. (1930)

Portraits

*''

Gunnar Heiberg Gunnar Edvard Rode Heiberg (18 November 1857 – 22 February 1929) was a Norway, Norwegian poet, playwright, journalist and theatre critic. Personal life He was born in Oslo, Christiania a son of judge Edvard Omsen Heiberg (1829–1884) and his w ...

'' (1878) *'' Amund Helland'' (1885) *''

Kitty Kielland Kitty Lange Kielland (8 October 1843 – 1 October 1914) was a Norwegian landscape painter. Early life and training Kielland was born to an affluent family in Stavanger, the older sister of Alexander Kielland. Kielland's interactions with her b ...

'' (1891) *''

Edvard Grieg Edvard Hagerup Grieg ( , ; 15 June 18434 September 1907) was a Norwegian composer and pianist. He is widely considered one of the foremost Romantic era composers, and his music is part of the standard classical repertoire worldwide. His use of ...

'' (1892 and 1902) *''

Erika Nissen Erika Nissen, née Lie (17 January 1845 – 27 October 1903), also known as Erika Røring Møinichen Lie Nissen, was a Norwegian pianist. She was born in Kongsvinger as the daughter of jurist Michael Strøm Lie and his wife Ingeborg Birgitte Rør ...

'' (1892) *''

Fridtjof Nansen Fridtjof Wedel-Jarlsberg Nansen (; 10 October 186113 May 1930) was a Norwegian polymath and Nobel Peace Prize laureate. He gained prominence at various points in his life as an explorer, scientist, diplomat, and humanitarian. He led the team t ...

'' (1893) *'' Frederik Collett'' (1894) *''

Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson Bjørnstjerne Martinius Bjørnson ( , ; 8 December 1832 – 26 April 1910) was a Norwegian writer who received the 1903 Nobel Prize in Literature "as a tribute to his noble, magnificent and versatile poetry, which has always been distinguished ...

'' (1895) *''

Henrik Ibsen Henrik Johan Ibsen (; ; 20 March 1828 – 23 May 1906) was a Norwegian playwright and theatre director. As one of the founders of modernism in theatre, Ibsen is often referred to as "the father of realism" and one of the most influential playw ...

'' (1895) *''

Eva Nansen Eva Helene Nansen (née Sars; 17 December 1858 – 9 December 1907) was a celebrated Norwegian mezzo-soprano singer. She was also a pioneer of women's skiing. Personal life Born in Christiania (now Oslo), she was a daughter of priest and profes ...

'' (1896) *''

Sophus Lie Marius Sophus Lie ( ; ; 17 December 1842 – 18 February 1899) was a Norwegian mathematician. He largely created the theory of continuous symmetry and applied it to the study of geometry and differential equations. Life and career Marius Sophu ...

'' (1902) *''

Christian Michelsen Peter Christian Hersleb Kjerschow Michelsen (15 March 1857 – 29 June 1925), better known as Christian Michelsen, was a Norwegian shipping magnate and statesman. He was the first prime minister of independent Norway and Norway's 9th prime minis ...

'' (1906) File:Knut Hamsun by Erik Werenskiold.jpg, Knut Hamsun
(1889) File:Gunnar Heiberg.JPG, Gunnar Heiberg
(1878) File:Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson by Erik Werenskiold.jpg, Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson (1895)

References

Other sources

*Østby, Leif ''Erik Werenskiold'' ( Oslo: Dreyers Forlag, 1977)

External links

Paintings by Erik and Dagfin Werenskiold in the O. Væring archive
* * *
Erik Werenskiold drawings
Illustrations created by Eirik Werenskiold for the 1899 and 1900 Norwegian editions of Heimskringla. Clicking on the thumbnail will give you the full image and information concerning it. {{DEFAULTSORT:Werenskiold, Erik 19th-century Norwegian painters 20th-century Norwegian painters Norwegian male painters 1855 births 1938 deaths Norwegian illustrators People from Eidskog People from Kongsvinger Place of death missing Commanders First Class of the Order of the Dannebrog 19th-century Norwegian male artists 20th-century Norwegian male artists