Adelsteen Normann
Encyclopedia
Adelsteen Normann was a Norwegian
painter who worked in Berlin
. He was a noted painter of landscapes of Norway. Normann was the artist who invited Edvard Munch
to Berlin, where he painted The Scream
. Normann's fjord paintings are credited with making the Norwegian fjords a more popular tourist destination.
in Norway. He studied in Düsseldorf
from 1869 to 1872 and his paintings are said to show a "Düsseldorf" technique. He studied with the Estonian painter Eugen Dücker
. Another member of the Dusseldorf School was Anders Askevold
.
Normann based himself in Berlin from 1883. His paintings were nearly always landscapes and invariably of the fjords of Norway where he would show the water combined with small houses and boats and steep mountainsides.
Normann lived at the same time as Edvard Munch
who was a fellow countryman. In the early 1890s, Normann was based in Berlin where he was doing good business selling his paintings to hotel owners. Normann had seen Munch's work when he had been exhibiting at Kristiania
. Normann wrote to Munch asking if he would exhibit his work in Berlin. Munch was so overcome that he packed up his exhibition on 20 October 1892 and went to Berlin where Normann true to his word befriended him. Munch's work was placed in an exhibition which caused such a stir that the painters in Berlin split into two societies. (It was suspected that the underlying reason for Normann's invitation to Munch was to cause this split).
Normann exhibited in Oslo, Berlin, London, Vienna, Düsseldorf, Munich and Paris. Although based in Germany from 1883, he would return to Norway each summer. Normann and Hans Dahl
both had large ornamented wooden villas near Balestrand
where they would entertain. His "dragon style" house was bought in 1891 and built (like many Norwegian houses) from a pre-fabricated kit from the city of Trondheim
. The house stayed with his heirs until 1934.
Normann notably exhibited at the prestigious Salon de Paris from as early as 1882. His paintings earned a 'Mention Honorable' in 1884 and he was awarded a bronze medal in 1889. It is assumed that his fjord paintings contributed to make the Norwegian fjords a popular tourist destination.
He died at Kristiania
(now: Oslo) on 26 December 1918.
, Cincinnati, Cologne
, Dresden
, Leeds
, Liverpool
and Stockholm
. In Normann's birthplace in 2010 is a dedicated gallery which has thirty of his paintings.
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
painter who worked in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
. He was a noted painter of landscapes of Norway. Normann was the artist who invited Edvard Munch
Edvard Munch
Edvard Munch was a Norwegian Symbolist painter, printmaker and an important forerunner of expressionist art. His best-known composition, The Scream, is part of a series The Frieze of Life, in which Munch explored the themes of love, fear, death, melancholia, and anxiety.- Childhood :Edvard Munch...
to Berlin, where he painted The Scream
The Scream
Scream is the title of Expressionist paintings and prints in a series by Norwegian artist Edvard Munch, showing an agonized figure against a blood red sky...
. Normann's fjord paintings are credited with making the Norwegian fjords a more popular tourist destination.
Biography
Eilert Adelsteen Normann was born in 1848 in BodinBodin
Bodin is a parish and former municipality in Nordland county, Norway.-History:Bodin was established as a municipality January 1, 1838 . Some smaller parts of the municipality were transferred to the town of Bodø January 1, 1901 and July 1, 1938...
in Norway. He studied in Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
from 1869 to 1872 and his paintings are said to show a "Düsseldorf" technique. He studied with the Estonian painter Eugen Dücker
Eugen Dücker
Eugen Dücker or Eugène Gustav Dücker was a romanticist Baltic German painter.He was born in Kuressaare, Estonia, on 29 January 1841 in the Julian calendar and died on 6 December 1916 in Düsseldorf, where he developed almost all his career...
. Another member of the Dusseldorf School was Anders Askevold
Anders Askevold
Anders Askevold was a Norwegian landscape painter. Anders Askevold was best known as an animal and landscape painter.-Biography:...
.
Normann based himself in Berlin from 1883. His paintings were nearly always landscapes and invariably of the fjords of Norway where he would show the water combined with small houses and boats and steep mountainsides.
Normann lived at the same time as Edvard Munch
Edvard Munch
Edvard Munch was a Norwegian Symbolist painter, printmaker and an important forerunner of expressionist art. His best-known composition, The Scream, is part of a series The Frieze of Life, in which Munch explored the themes of love, fear, death, melancholia, and anxiety.- Childhood :Edvard Munch...
who was a fellow countryman. In the early 1890s, Normann was based in Berlin where he was doing good business selling his paintings to hotel owners. Normann had seen Munch's work when he had been exhibiting at Kristiania
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
. Normann wrote to Munch asking if he would exhibit his work in Berlin. Munch was so overcome that he packed up his exhibition on 20 October 1892 and went to Berlin where Normann true to his word befriended him. Munch's work was placed in an exhibition which caused such a stir that the painters in Berlin split into two societies. (It was suspected that the underlying reason for Normann's invitation to Munch was to cause this split).
Normann exhibited in Oslo, Berlin, London, Vienna, Düsseldorf, Munich and Paris. Although based in Germany from 1883, he would return to Norway each summer. Normann and Hans Dahl
Hans Dahl
Hans Dahl was a Norwegian painter. Hans Dahl was famous for his paintings of Norwegian fjords and surrounding landscapes.-Background:...
both had large ornamented wooden villas near Balestrand
Balestrand
Balestrand is a municipality in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sogn. The administrative center is the village of Balestrand....
where they would entertain. His "dragon style" house was bought in 1891 and built (like many Norwegian houses) from a pre-fabricated kit from the city of Trondheim
Trondheim
Trondheim , historically, Nidaros and Trondhjem, is a city and municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. With a population of 173,486, it is the third most populous municipality and city in the country, although the fourth largest metropolitan area. It is the administrative centre of...
. The house stayed with his heirs until 1934.
Normann notably exhibited at the prestigious Salon de Paris from as early as 1882. His paintings earned a 'Mention Honorable' in 1884 and he was awarded a bronze medal in 1889. It is assumed that his fjord paintings contributed to make the Norwegian fjords a popular tourist destination.
He died at Kristiania
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
(now: Oslo) on 26 December 1918.
Legacy
Normann's paintings are included in galleries in BergenBergen
Bergen is the second largest city in Norway with a population of as of , . Bergen is the administrative centre of Hordaland county. Greater Bergen or Bergen Metropolitan Area as defined by Statistics Norway, has a population of as of , ....
, Cincinnati, Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
, Dresden
Dresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
, Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
, Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
and Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
. In Normann's birthplace in 2010 is a dedicated gallery which has thirty of his paintings.