Kai Breder Fjell (; March 2, 1907 – January 10, 1989) 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 ...

printmaker Printmaking is the process of creating work of art, artworks by printing, normally on paper, but also on fabric, wood, metal, and other surfaces. "Traditional printmaking" normally covers only the process of creating prints using a hand proce ...

and

scenographer A scenographer or production designer, develops the appearance of a stage design, a TV or movie set, a gaming environment, a trade fair exhibition design or a museum experience exhibition design. The term originated in theater. A scenographer work ...

Personal life

Fjell was born on a farm in the village

Skoger Skoger is a village located on the border between Buskerud and Vestfold counties, Norway. Of its population of 1,082 as of 2005, 654 were registered as residents of Drammen whereas 428 live in Sande in Vestfold county, Norway. History Histor ...

near Drammen. His father was a farmer and a painter, Conrad Bendiks Fjeld. His mother was a sister of

Marie Hamsun Marie Hamsun (born Marie Andersen) (19 November 1881 – 4 August 1969) was a Norwegian actress and writer. Biography Marie Andersen was born in Elverum, Hedmark, Norway. She was the eldest child in an affluent family. In 1897 the family moved t ...

. Fjell married Ingeborg Helene Holt (1907–1999) in 1931. They had two children, Sindre and Håvard Fjell.

Career

Kai Fjell became a pupil of Carl von Hanno in Oslo in 1926. A year later, he enrolled at the

Norwegian National Academy of Fine Arts The Norwegian National Academy of Arts ( no, Statens kunstakademi) is a Norwegian Academy offering studies in the area of Fine Art. The Academy currently offers 3-year bachelor and 2-year MA programmes. The "Norwegian National Academy of the Arts" ...

of Oslo, where his main teachers were August Eiebakke and

Olaf Willums Olaf Willums (25 April 1886 – 25 February 1967) was a Norwegian painter and printmaker. Biography He was born in Porsgrunn as a son of assurance director Olaf Karenius Abrahamsen (1853–1936) and Caroline Marie Halvorsen (1855–1925). In J ...

from 1929. His debut exhibition in Oslo Art Society in 1932 was largely unsuccessful. Fjell achieved immediate success with his exhibition at

Kunstnernes Hus Kunstnernes Hus (Norwegian for "Artists' House") is an art gallery in Oslo, Norway. It is Norway's largest gallery under the direction of artists, and has served as a major center for exhibits of Norwegian and international contemporary art. It i ...

at Oslo in 1937, where all the exhibited paintings were sold. Kai Fjell early developed an ornamental

expressionism Expressionism is a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Northern Europe around the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it rad ...

. His pictures are heavily influenced by rural life and traditional Norwegian folk art. Fjell's early paintings are dominated by dark and earthy hues and often has grotesque motifs. His later works are significantly brighter, more daring in their use of colour, and tranquil in mood. He also found an outlet as a book illustrator and as a scenographer. Throughout his long career, the female figure and various fertility-symbols are recurring motifs in Fjell's pictures. Fjell's main work consists of ''Kalven reiser seg'', ''Violinen'' and ''Likkjøreren'' on display at the Nasjonalmuseet. He was appointed Commander of the Order of St. Olav in 1976. He was active as a painter until the end of his life. Kai Fjell died in his home at Lysaker.

Selected works

*''Barnemorderske'', 1934 *''Likkjøreren'', 1936 *''Kalven reiser seg'', 1936 *''Under takrenna'', 1936 *''Modellenes hyllest'', 1936 *''Gratulanter'', 1937 *''Musikanten'', 1937 *''Den sunkne by'', 1954

References

External links

Short biography by Kai Fjell's son Bamse Fjell (In Norwegian)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fjell, Kai 20th-century Norwegian painters Norwegian male painters Expressionist painters 1907 births 1989 deaths Artists from Bærum Order of Saint Olav 20th-century Norwegian male artists