Hans Olaf Halvor Heyerdahl (8 July 1857 – 10 October 1913) was a Norwegian Realist painter. His work was characterized by naturalism and focused largely on portraits and landscape paintings.

Biography

Heyerdahl was born in

Smedjebacken Smedjebacken is a Urban areas in Sweden, locality and the seat of Smedjebacken Municipality, Dalarna County, Sweden, with 5,100 inhabitants in 2010. Geographically, the town Smedjebacken is situated by the lake Barken, with an area of , which in ...

, Sweden. He was the son of and Hilda Margretha Haak (1834–1917). His father was a prominent engineer and architect. In 1859, the family moved to

Drammen Drammen () is a city and municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. The port and river city of Drammen is centrally located in the south-eastern and most populated part of Norway. Drammen municipality also includes smaller towns and villages such ...

, where his father took up the joint posts of city engineer and fire chief. Heyerdahl was educated in Christiania (now Oslo), Munich (1874–1877) and Paris (1878–1880). He began his education with the intent of following in his father's footsteps, but soon discovered that he was more attracted to drawing and art. In 1873, he entered the

Norwegian National Academy of Craft and Art Industry The National College of Art and Design () was established in 1818. In 1996, the National College of Art and Design became part of Oslo National Academy of the Arts (''Kunsthøgskolen i Oslo'', KHiO), along with the Norwegian National Academy of ...

and studied under Peder Cappelen Thurmann, a landscape artist trained in

Düsseldorf Düsseldorf is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in the state after Cologne and the List of cities in Germany with more than 100,000 inhabitants, seventh-largest city ...

. From 1874 until 1877, he was enrolled at the

Academy of Fine Arts, Munich The Academy of Fine Arts, Munich (, also known as Munich Academy) is one of the oldest and most significant art academies in Germany. It is located in the Maxvorstadt district of Munich, in Bavaria, Germany. In the second half of the 19th centur ...

, where his professors were Wilhelm Lindenschmit and Ludwig von Löfftz, who encouraged him to switch from landscapes to historical painting and portraits. From 1878 to 1882, he lived in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

and won a third-place Medal at the Exposition Universelle for his painting ''Adam og Eva drives ut av Paradiset''. Finished in 1877 under the guidance of Wilhelm Lindenschmit, it featured the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the

Garden of Eden In Abrahamic religions, the Garden of Eden (; ; ) or Garden of God ( and ), also called the Terrestrial Paradise, is the biblical paradise described in Genesis 2–3 and Ezekiel 28 and 31.. The location of Eden is described in the Book of Ge ...

. He made his début at the

Salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon A beauty salon or beauty parlor is an establishment that provides Cosmetics, cosmetic treatments for people. Other variations of this type of business include hair salons, spas, day spas, ...

in 1879 with a portrait of the composer Johan Svendsen. While in Paris, he came under the influence of

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

and took up painting outdoors (''

En plein air ''En plein air'' (; French language, French for 'outdoors'), or plein-air painting, is the act of painting outdoors. This method contrasts with studio painting or academic rules that might create a predetermined look. The theory of 'En plein ai ...

''). In 1881, his work ''Det døende barn'' won the Grand Prix du Florence at the Salon, which enabled him to spend two years studying in

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. After finishing his studies, he returned to Norway and settled in Christiania, where he gave private art lessons to support his studio. He started a private painting school together with

Christian Krohg Christian Krohg (13 August 1852 – 16 October 1925) was a Norwegian naturalist painter, illustrator, author and journalist. Krohg was inspired by the realism art movement and often chose motifs from everyday life. He was the director and s ...

and Erik Werenskiold. His summers were spent painting in Åsgårdstrand, where he inspired

Edvard Munch Edvard Munch ( ; ; 12 December 1863 – 23 January 1944) was a Norwegian painter. His 1893 work ''The Scream'' has become one of Western art's most acclaimed images. His childhood was overshadowed by illness, bereavement and the dread of inher ...

, who was just beginning his career. In addition to his landscapes, he did scenes from Norwegian history and several portraits of notable people, including Frits Thaulow (1885),

Knut Hamsun Knut Hamsun (4 August 1859 – 19 February 1952) was a Norwegian writer who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1920 Nobel Prize in Literature, 1920. Hamsun's work spans more than 70 years and shows variation with regard to conscio ...

(1893) and

Henrik Ibsen Henrik Johan Ibsen (; ; 20 March 1828 – 23 May 1906) was a Norwegian playwright, poet and actor. Ibsen is considered the world's pre-eminent dramatist of the 19th century and is often referred to as "the father of modern drama." He pioneered ...

(1894). After 1900, he spent another six years in Paris, where his paintings took on a more melancholy tone. In 1904, he was named a Knight in the

Order of St. Olav The Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav (; or ''Sanct Olafs Orden'', the old Norwegian name) is a Norwegian order of chivalry instituted by King Oscar I on 21 August 1847. It is named after King Olav II, known to posterity as St. Olav. Just be ...

. He died during 1913 in Oslo. The largest publicly available collection of Heyerdahl's pictures can be found in the Heyerdahl room at the Drammen Museum. Several of his more important works can also be seen in the National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design (''Nasjonalmuseet for kunst, arkitektur og design'') in Oslo.

Selected works

*''Kunstnerviften'' (Artifacts, 1898) *''Adam og Eva drives ut av Paradiset'' (Adam and Eve Driven from Paradise, 1877) *''Det døende barn'' (, The Dying Child, 1889) *''Maleren Frits Thaulow'' (The Painter Frits Thaulow, c.1885) *''Professor Ernst Sars'' (1886) *''Redaktør Ola Thommessen'' (The Editor

Ola Thommessen Ola Thommessen (23 September 1851 – 10 February 1942) was a Norway, Norwegian newspaper editor. He was the long-time editor of ''Verdens Gang (1868-1923 newspaper), Verdens Gang'' and ''Tidens Tegn''. Early and personal life Olaus Anthon ...

, 1888) *''Ved vinduet'' ( By the Window, 1881) *''Svart-Anna'' (Black-Anna, c.1887) *''Den danske maler Frants Henningsen'' (The Danish Painter Frants Henningsen, c.1881) *''Den gamle mølle'' (The Old Mill, 1884) *''Dikteren Henrik Ibsen'' (The Writer

, ca. 1893) *''Dobbeltportrett, kopi etter Bellini'' (Double Portrait after Bellini, 1878–1879) *''Forfatteren Gunnar Heiberg'' (The Author Gunnar Heiberg, 1901) *''Fra Åsgårdstrand'' (From Åsgårdstrand, ca. 1887) *''Gammel fisker'' (Old Fisherman, 1891) *''Italienerpike'' (Italian Clergyman, ca. 1880) *''Karen Marie Bætzmann, née Fougner'' (c.1880)

Gallery

File:Hans Olaf Heyerdahl - Champagnepiken.jpg, The Champagne Girl (1881, Champagnepiken) File:HeyerdahlAttheWindow1881.jpg, '' At the Window'' (1881) File:Hans Heyerdahl - The penitent Mary Magdalene - 1892.jpg, ''Maria Magdalena'' (1882) File:Hans heyerdahl fiskergutten 1886.jpg, ''Fisher Boy'' (1886) File:Heyerdahl25.JPG, ''Girl with Currants'' (c.1890) File:Hans Heyerdahl (1857-1913) The Girl with Linen Hair.jpg, ''The Girl with Linen Hair'' (c.1890) File:Heyerdahl idyll 1906.jpg, ''An Idyll'' (1906)

References

External links

ArtNet: More works by HeyerdahlHans Heyerdahl website by Leif Osvold
Detailed biography and a complete list of his works.
Hans Heyerdahl by Åsmund Thorkildsen
@ the Drammen Museum of Art and Cultural History {{DEFAULTSORT:Heyerdahl, Hans 1857 births 1913 deaths People from Drammen Norwegian landscape painters Norwegian portrait painters Norwegian realist painters Oslo National Academy of the Arts alumni Academy of Fine Arts, Munich alumni Norwegian expatriates in Germany Norwegian expatriates in France 19th-century Norwegian painters 20th-century Norwegian painters Norwegian male painters 19th-century Norwegian male artists 20th-century Norwegian male artists

Biography

Selected works

Gallery

References

Further reading

External links