Gustav Wentzel
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Gustav Wentzel (1859–1927) 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 ...
. He was best known for interiors and domestic and rural scenes. His artistic style was associated with Naturalism and noted for accurate observations and attention to detail.


Biography

He was the eldest of seven children. His father, Jørgen, was a farm owner and ''salmakermester'' (someone who makes transport accessories, such as harnesses and seats). While still a boy, his father went bankrupt and his mother, Anne, opened a meat store to support the family. At the age of fifteen, he was apprenticed to a mason because he intended to become an architect. That same year, he began to take drawing lessons and decided to pursue art instead. From 1875 to 1878, he was a student at the
Norwegian National Academy of Craft and Art Industry The National College of Art and Design ( no, Statens håndverks- og kunstindustriskole) was established in 1818. In 1996 the National College of Art and Design became part of Oslo National Academy of the Arts The Oslo National Academy of the A ...
then, until 1880, studied painting with
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 ...
.Ingebjørg Ydstie's hovedoppgave (thesis), 1995 His first, small, showing was at the bookstore owned by Albert Cammermeyer. He soon became part of a circle of artists that met at the studios of the sculptor, . He took his first study trip in the summer of 1880, accompanied by and . They visited
Hardanger Hardanger is a traditional district in the western part of Norway, dominated by the Hardangerfjord and its inner branches of the Sørfjorden and the Eid Fjord. It consists of the municipalities of Ullensvang, Eidfjord, Ulvik and Kvam, and is l ...
and
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 ...
. The following year, he went to
Kvitsøy Kvitsøy is an island municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. At only , it is the smallest municipality in Norway by area and one of the smallest by population. Kvitsøy is located in the traditional district of Ryfylke. The administrative cen ...
, supported by a grant from the Schäffers Legat, a fund for painters, sculptors and poets. On the advice of Andreas Aubert, he travelled to
Valdres Valdres () is a traditional district in central, southern Norway, situated between the districts of Gudbrandsdalen and Hallingdal. The region of Valdres consists of the six municipalities of Nord-Aurdal, Sør-Aurdal, Øystre Slidre, Vestre Slidre ...
in 1882, where he painted landscapes and interiors; notably at the
Hegge Stave Church Hegge Stave Church ( no, Hegge stavkyrkje) is a 13th-century stave church in Norway. It is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Øystre Slidre Municipality in Innlandet county. It is located in the village of Hegge. It is the church for th ...
. He was in Paris in 1883 and again in 1884, with another grant from the Schäffers Legat, and studied with
William Bouguereau William-Adolphe Bouguereau (; 30 November 1825 – 19 August 1905) was a French academic painter. In his realistic genre paintings, he used mythological themes, making modern interpretations of classical subjects, with an emphasis on the female ...
at the
Académie Julian The Académie Julian () was a private art school for painting and sculpture founded in Paris, France, in 1867 by French painter and teacher Rodolphe Julian (1839–1907) that was active from 1868 through 1968. It remained famous for the number a ...
. In 1888 and 1889, he was back in Paris on a state scholarship, studying 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 ...
and
Alfred Philippe Roll Alfred may refer to: Arts and entertainment *''Alfred J. Kwak'', Dutch-German-Japanese anime television series * ''Alfred'' (Arne opera), a 1740 masque by Thomas Arne * ''Alfred'' (Dvořák), an 1870 opera by Antonín Dvořák *"Alfred (Interlu ...
at the Académie Colarossi. While there, he met and married the writer, Christiane Marie Bætzmann (known as " Kitty"), daughter of Frederik Bætzmann, the Paris correspondent for
Aftenposten ( in the masthead; ; Norwegian for "The Evening Post") is Norway's largest printed newspaper by circulation. It is based in Oslo. It sold 211,769 copies in 2015 (172,029 printed copies according to University of Bergen) and estimated 1.2 million ...
. She had been studying at the Académie, but never painted professionally. They returned to Norway and settled in an outlying neighbourhood of Christiania. Later, they moved to
Asker Asker ( no, Asker), properly called Askerbygda in Norwegian, is a district and former Municipalities of Norway, municipality in Akershus, Norway. From 2020 it is part of the larger administrative municipality Asker, Viken (also known as Greate ...
, where they became close friends of Hulda and
Arne Garborg Arne Garborg (born Aadne Eivindsson Garborg) (25 January 1851 – 14 January 1924) was a Norwegian writer. Garborg championed the use of Landsmål (now known as Nynorsk, or New Norwegian), as a literary language; he translated the Odyssey into i ...
. In 1901, a financial windfall enabled them and their two young children to travel to Italy, but a planned stay in Paris did not come to fruition. Upon their return in 1902, they settled in
Vågå Vågå () is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Vågåmo. Other village areas in Vågå include Lalm and Besshei ...
. The following year, he sent eighty-five works to an art auction, but twelve were never sold and the others were bought cheaply, which plunged him into doubts about his chosen profession. Despite this failure, and his continued depression, he was awarded the Order of St. Olav in 1908. At home, however, things went less well. That same year, Kitty took their youngest son with her to the United States, where she worked as a
governess A governess is a largely obsolete term for a woman employed as a private tutor, who teaches and trains a child or children in their home. A governess often lives in the same residence as the children she is teaching. In contrast to a nanny, th ...
. By 1910, their marriage was apparently one in name only and he began teaching at a painting school operated by
Harriet Backer Harriet Backer (21 January 1845 – 25 March 1932) was a Norwegian painter who achieved recognition in her own time and was a pioneer among female artists both in the Nordic countries and in Europe generally. She is best known for her detailed ...
. She helped him receive a grant that enabled him to spend those difficult times in Munich. He returned to Norway in 1913. By that time, his family was living in Lom. He visited them often and opened his last studio near there, in 1919. Although he had to produce low-quality paintings in large quantities to pay his bills, he was generally happy there and well-respected by the locals. In 1927, he went to the hospital in Lillehammer for the treatment of an oral inflammation and died there, of pneumonia, shortly after. Kitty spent much of the rest of her life promoting his works and wrote a biography of him in 1956. Their homes in Lom have been preserved and are partly open to the public.''Budstikka''; 9. October 2010 In 1999, a major exhibit was held commemorating Wentzel and the architect Bjarne Tøien (1899–1963), who is also associated with Lom.


Selected paintings

Gustav wentzel vinterbilde fra vågå 1914.jpg, ''Winter Scene from
Vågå Vågå () is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Vågåmo. Other village areas in Vågå include Lalm and Besshei ...
'' (1914) Snekkerverksted 1881 gustav wentzel.jpg, ''Joiner's Workshop'' (1881) Skirenn i fjelkenbakken gustav wentzel 1898.jpg, ''Ski Races in Fjelkenbakken'' (undated) Nattoget gustav wentzel 1899.jpg, ''Night Train'' (1899) Frokost gustav wentzel 1882.jpg, ''Breakfast'' (1882) Gustav Wentzel Frokost 2.jpg, ''Breakfastt II/Morning Mood'' (1885) Utvandrere 1902 gustav wentzel.JPG, ''Emigrants'' (1903) Gustav wentzel høstlandskap.jpg, ''Autumn Landscape'' (undated)


References


Further reading

* Kitty Wentzel. ''Gustav Wentzel''. Gyldendal, 1956. Foreword by Leif Østby. Ny utgave: Lom 2009 * Kitty Wentzel. ''Fra mitt livs karusell''. Cappelen, 1960. Ny utgave: Lom 2010 * Leif Østby. "Gustav Wentzel". I: ''Norsk kunstnerleksikon'', Vol.4. Universitetsforlaget, 1986.


External links


Biography
@ the ''
Norsk Biografisk Leksikon is the largest Norwegian biographical encyclopedia. The first edition (NBL1) was issued between 1921 and 1983, including 19 volumes and 5,100 articles. It was published by Aschehoug with economic support from the state. bought the rights to ...
''
More works by Wentzel
@ ArtNet
Works by Wentzel
@ the Nasjonalmuseet {{DEFAULTSORT:Wentzel, Gustav 1859 births 1927 deaths Artists from Oslo 19th-century Norwegian painters 20th-century Norwegian painters Norwegian male painters Académie Julian alumni Académie Colarossi alumni 19th-century Norwegian male artists 20th-century Norwegian male artists