Kristen Holbø (13 September 1869 – 19 October 1953) was a Norwegian

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, most noted for his landscapes.

Biography

He was born on Sygard Holbø in Vågå in Oppland county, Norway. He studied under

Knud Bergslien Knud Larsen Bergslien (15 May 1827 – 27 November 1908) was a Norwegian painter, art teacher and master artist. In his art, he frequently portrayed the lives of the Norwegian people, their history and heroes of the past. Bergslien is most associ ...

in 1890, Eilif Peterssen and Harriet Backer in 1893 and 1894, and under

Kristian Zahrtmann Peder Henrik Kristian Zahrtmann, known as Kristian Zahrtmann, (31 March 1843 – 22 June 1917) was a Denmark, Danish Painting, painter. He was a part of the Danish artistic generation in the late 19th century, along with Peder Severin Krøyer and ...

during the winters from 1897 to 1902. In 1909, Holbø held his first solo exhibition in Christiania Art Society. Holbø lived in Vågå until 1912, when the family moved to Lillehammer. From 1946 he received the National Artist salary. His painting had a distinctly home-like tone, with a broad brush and robust palette. He often portrayed his home village and surrounding mountains of

Gudbrandsdalen Gudbrandsdalen (; en, Gudbrand Valley) is a valley and traditional district in the Norwegian county of Innlandet (formerly Oppland). The valley is oriented in a north-westerly direction from Lillehammer and the lake of Mjøsa, extending towar ...

. As a landscape painter he described first and foremost his hometown, and also the mountainous area of Jotunheimen. During several summers, he also painted from

Hvasser Hvasser is a populated island and a village in Færder municipality, Norway, connected to mainland and the city of Tønsberg via the islands Brøtsø, Tjøme and Nøtterøy. The name comes from the Norwegian word "hvass", meaning sharp, which is ...

and Tjøme, both in

Vestfold Vestfold is a traditional region, a former county and a current electoral district in Eastern Norway. In 2020 the county became part of the much larger county of Vestfold og Telemark. Located on the western shore of the Oslofjord, it bordered th ...

county. He is represented with eleven paintings and two illustrations in the

National Gallery of Norway The National Gallery ( no, Nasjonalgalleriet) is a gallery in Oslo, Norway. Since 2003 it is administratively a part of the National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design. , the admission cost is 100 Norwegian kroner. History It was establishe ...

Personal life

Holbø was married in 1905 to Anna Harildstad (1871–1958). He was the father of Norwegian artist,

Halvdan Holbø Halvdan Holbø (4 May 1907 in Vågå, Oppland – 21 September 1995) was a Norwegian painter. He was born in Vågå as a son of Kristen Holbø. He studied under Søren Onsager, Anders C. Svarstad, Halfdan Strøm and Jean Heiberg, and spent time ...

.''Halvdan Holbø'' (Store norske leksikon)
/ref>

References

1869 births 1953 deaths People from Vågå Norwegian landscape painters Norwegian illustrators 19th-century Norwegian painters 20th-century Norwegian painters {{Norway-painter-stub