Gunnar Berg (painter)
Encyclopedia
Lofoten
Lofoten is an archipelago and a traditional district in the county of Nordland, Norway. Though lying within the Arctic Circle, the archipelago experiences one of the world's largest elevated temperature anomalies relative to its high latitude.-Etymology:...
. He principally painted memorable scenes of the everyday life of the local fishermen.
Background
Gunnar Berg was born on Svinøya in SvolværSvolvær
-Communications:Parts of the town is built on small islands connected by bridges. There is a regional airport near the town, Svolvær Airport, Helle, and Svolvær is a port of call for Hurtigruten. There is a ferry connection Svolvær to Skutvik in Hamarøy, and express boat connections to Bodø...
on Lofoten
Lofoten
Lofoten is an archipelago and a traditional district in the county of Nordland, Norway. Though lying within the Arctic Circle, the archipelago experiences one of the world's largest elevated temperature anomalies relative to its high latitude.-Etymology:...
, Nordland County, Norway
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...
. He was the oldest of 12 siblings born to a landlord and merchant, Lars Thodal Walnum Berg (1830-1903) and Lovise Johnsen (1842–1921). From 1875-81, he attended Cathedral School in 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...
, and also took private lessons in drawing and painting by the artist H. J. Johannessen. He later attended a trade school in Bergen
Bergen
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 , ....
. He was first employed as a merchant. He later studied to became an artist.
Biography
Gunnar Berg first studied at the art academy in DüsseldorfDüsseldorf
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...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. From 1883 until his death, Gunnar Berg studied and worked in Düsseldorf and Berlin. During the Lofoten fishing season, Berg was at home in Svolvær. 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.
His most commonly recognized painting, Trollfjordslaget depicts The Battle of Trollfjord
Trollfjord
The Trollfjord is a 2 km long sidearm of the Raftsund between the Norwegian archipelagos of Lofoten and Vesterålen. With its narrow entrance and steep-sided mountains, Trollfjord cuts westwards from the Raftsundet strait...
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. This painting is situated in the Gunnar Berg Gallery in Svolvær.
Trollfjordslaget was Gunnar'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 during 1893. His grave is on the Island of Gunnarholmen in Svolvaer.