Gunnar Berg (painter) on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
Gunnar Berg (21 May 1863 – 23 December 1893) was a Norwegian painter, known for his paintings of his native 
''Store norske leksikon''
''Norsk biografisk leksikon'' Among his most significant paintings are ''Fra Vaterfjord'' (1886) which is now on display at Svolvær City Hall and ''Trollfjordslaget'' (1890) which is situated in the Gunnar Berg Gallery in Svolvær. ''Fra Vaterfjord'' is dated to between 1886 and 1893. The painting features Nordland boats during a break in fishing. In the background is a steamship that is probably buying up fish for transport south. ''Trollfjordslaget'' depicts The Battle of Trollfjord which was fought in 1890. The Battle at Trollfjord (''Slaget i Trollfjorden'') was fought between the owners of large steamships and some Lofotfisherman over the control of local fishing. ''Trollfjordslaget'' was Gunnar Berg's last major work. In 1891 it was discovered that he had cancer in one leg that had to be amputated. His health was weakening and during the fall of 1893 he incurred pneumonia. Gunnar Berg died in Berlin in 1893. His grave is in the family's chapel on the Island of Gunnarholmen in Svolvaer. A bust of him was erected there in 1994.''Gunnar Berg''
Lofoten in Paintings
File:Gunnar Berg Svolvær.jpg, ''
Gunnar Berg by Jan Dagfinn Monssen
Norwegian
The Gunnar Berg Gallery
{{DEFAULTSORT:Berg, Gunnar 1863 births 1893 deaths People from Vågan 19th-century Norwegian painters Düsseldorf school of painting Norwegian male painters 19th-century Norwegian male artists
Lofoten
Lofoten () is an archipelago and a traditional district in the county of Nordland, Norway. Lofoten has distinctive scenery with dramatic mountains and peaks, open sea and sheltered bays, beaches and untouched lands. There are two towns, Svolvà ...
. He principally painted memorable scenes of the everyday life of the local fishermen.
Background
Gunnar Berg was born on Svinøya inSvolvær
Svolvær () is the administrative centre of Vågan Municipality in Nordland County, Norway. It is located on the island of Austvågøya in the Lofoten archipelago, along the Vestfjorden. The town has a population (2018) of 4,720 which gives t ...
on Lofoten
Lofoten () is an archipelago and a traditional district in the county of Nordland, Norway. Lofoten has distinctive scenery with dramatic mountains and peaks, open sea and sheltered bays, beaches and untouched lands. There are two towns, Svolvà ...
, Nordland County
Nordland (; smj, Nordlánnda, sma, Nordlaante, sme, Nordlánda, en, Northland) is a county in Norway in the Northern Norway region, the least populous of all 11 counties, bordering Troms og Finnmark in the north, Trøndelag in the south, No ...
, 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 was the oldest of 12 siblings born to a wealthy landowner and merchant, Lars Thodal Walnum Berg (1830-–1903) and Lovise Johnsen (1842–1921). From 1875 until 1881, he attended Trondheim Cathedral School
Trondheim Cathedral School ( no, Trondheim katedralskole, Latin: ''Schola Cathedralis Nidrosiensis'') is an upper secondary school located next to the Nidaros Cathedral in the center of Trondheim, Norway.
History
There is great dispute regarding ...
, and also took private lessons in drawing and painting by the artist H.J. Nicolaysen. He later attended a trade school in Bergen
Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula of ...
. He was first employed as a merchant. He later studied to become an artist. Gunnar Berg''Store norske leksikon''
Biography
Gunnar Berg first studied at the art academy inDüsseldorf
Düsseldorf ( , , ; often in English sources; Low Franconian and Ripuarian: ''Düsseldörp'' ; archaic nl, Dusseldorp ) is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in th ...
, Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
. From 1883 until his death, Gunnar Berg studied and worked in Düsseldorf and Berlin, associated with the Düsseldorf school of painting
The Düsseldorf school of painting is a term referring to a group of painters who taught or studied at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf Academy (now the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, Staatliche Kunstakademie Düsseldorf or Düsseldorf State ...
. During the Lofoten fishing season, Berg was at home in Svolvær. With the help of his parents, built a studio on Svinøya. When he was at Lofoten, he had a good collaboration with fellow painter Otto Sinding
Otto Ludvig Sinding (20 December 1842 – 22 November 1909) was a Norway, Norwegian Painting, painter, illustrator, poet and dramatist. Sinding drew on motives from Norwegian nature, folk life and history.
Personal life
Otto Sinding was born in K ...
.
Berg painted scenes from his hometown including both landscapes and seascapes. Fishermen, mountains and the sea, during both summer and winter, comprised the primary themes of his artistry.Gunnar Berg''Norsk biografisk leksikon'' Among his most significant paintings are ''Fra Vaterfjord'' (1886) which is now on display at Svolvær City Hall and ''Trollfjordslaget'' (1890) which is situated in the Gunnar Berg Gallery in Svolvær. ''Fra Vaterfjord'' is dated to between 1886 and 1893. The painting features Nordland boats during a break in fishing. In the background is a steamship that is probably buying up fish for transport south. ''Trollfjordslaget'' depicts The Battle of Trollfjord which was fought in 1890. The Battle at Trollfjord (''Slaget i Trollfjorden'') was fought between the owners of large steamships and some Lofotfisherman over the control of local fishing. ''Trollfjordslaget'' was Gunnar Berg's last major work. In 1891 it was discovered that he had cancer in one leg that had to be amputated. His health was weakening and during the fall of 1893 he incurred pneumonia. Gunnar Berg died in Berlin in 1893. His grave is in the family's chapel on the Island of Gunnarholmen in Svolvaer. A bust of him was erected there in 1994.
Lofoten in Paintings
Gallery
Svolvær
Svolvær () is the administrative centre of Vågan Municipality in Nordland County, Norway. It is located on the island of Austvågøya in the Lofoten archipelago, along the Vestfjorden. The town has a population (2018) of 4,720 which gives t ...
''
File:Gunnar Berg Reine kirkegård.jpg, '' Reine kirkegård''
File:Gunnar Berg Fiskebåter ved Reine.jpg, '' Fiskebåter ved Reine''
File:Gunnar Berg Fra Svolvær i Lofoten.jpg, ''Fra Svolvær i Lofoten''
References
External links
Gunnar Berg by Jan Dagfinn Monssen
Norwegian
The Gunnar Berg Gallery
{{DEFAULTSORT:Berg, Gunnar 1863 births 1893 deaths People from Vågan 19th-century Norwegian painters Düsseldorf school of painting Norwegian male painters 19th-century Norwegian male artists