
Adolph Tidemand (14 August 18148 August 1876) was a noted
Norwegian romantic nationalism painter. Among his best known paintings are ''Haugianerne'' (''The
Haugean
The Haugean movement or Haugeanism () was a Pietistic state church reform movement intended to bring new life and vitality into the Church of Norway, which had been often characterized by formalism and lethargy. The movement emphasized personal ...
s''; 1852) and ''
Brudeferd i Hardanger'' (''The Bridal Procession in Hardanger''; 1848), painted in collaboration with
Hans Gude.
Biography
Adolph Tidemand was born in
Mandal
A tehsil (, also known as tahsil, taluk, or taluka () is a local unit of administrative division in India and Pakistan. It is a subdistrict of the area within a district including the designated populated place that serves as its administrative c ...
, Norway as the son of customs inspector and
Storting
The Storting ( ; ) is the supreme legislature of Norway, established in 1814 by the Constitution of Norway. It is located in Oslo. The Unicameralism, unicameral parliament has 169 members and is elected every four years based on party-list propo ...
representative Christen Tidemand (1779–1838) and Johanne Henriette Henrikke Haste (1779–1859). He received private art lessons in his home town and his talent was soon recognized. He then was enrolled in an art school in Christiania, moving on to Copenhagen in the period 1832–1837. Upon arrival in Copenhagen, he was rejected by the
Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts
The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts () has provided education in the arts for more than 250 years, playing its part in the development of the art of Denmark.
History
The Royal Danish Academy of Portraiture, Sculpture, and Architecture in Cope ...
and studied at a private school of art, but by 1833 he was a pupil at the Academy, earning Academy exhibitions in 1835 and 1836. He studied there for five years and then began a journey to Italy to study further. But when Tidemand came to
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 ...
, Germany, he liked it so much that he settled down there.
From 1837 until 1841 he continued his studies at the art academy in Düsseldorf, which at the time enjoyed widespread international recognition. He studied with and was influenced by his teacher,
Theodor Hildebrandt. Here he prepared the well known ''Hjemvendte fiskere ved den sjællandske kyst'' (1838). The painting ''Gustav Vasa taler til dalalmuen i Mora kirke'' (1841) was sold to a German museum, but was later returned to Christiania. He is associated with the
Düsseldorf school of painting
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 ...
.
In the autumn of 1841 he studied in Italy along with his brother Emil. Few of his works from this period remain, except for the picture ''Napolitansk fisker'' (1842). Tidemand was preoccupied by Norwegian history, particularly after returning on a journey to Norway. During a journey to 1843 in
Hardanger
Hardanger is a traditional district in the western part of Norway, dominated by the Hardangerfjord and its inner branches of the Sørfjorden and the Eid Fjord. It consists of the municipalities of Ullensvang, Eidfjord, Ulvik and Kvam, and is ...
, he met the 18-year-old
Hans Gude. This resulted in a close friendship, and eventually they collaborated on several landscape paintings in which Tidemand painted the figures.

During 1842–1845 he traveled extensively in Norway (to
Østerdalen
Østerdalen () is a valley and Districts of Norway, traditional district in Innlandet county, in Eastern Norway. This area typically is described as the large Glåma river valley as well as all its tributary valleys. Østerdalen is often subdivide ...
,
Gudbrandsdalen,
Sogn
Sogn is a traditional district in Western Norway (''Vestlandet''). It is located in the county of Vestland, surrounding the Sognefjord, the largest/longest fjord in Norway. The district of Sogn consists of the municipalities of Aurland, Balestra ...
,
Hardanger
Hardanger is a traditional district in the western part of Norway, dominated by the Hardangerfjord and its inner branches of the Sørfjorden and the Eid Fjord. It consists of the municipalities of Ullensvang, Eidfjord, Ulvik and Kvam, and is ...
and
Telemark
Telemark () is a Counties of Norway, county and a current electoral district in Norway. Telemark borders the counties of Vestfold, Buskerud, Vestland, Rogaland and Agder. In 2020, Telemark merged with the county of Vestfold to form the county o ...
). More of his works survive from this period, including ''Eventyrfortellersken'' (1844), ''Søndagskveld i en hardangersk røkstue'' (1843) and ''Gudstjeneste i en norsk landsens kirke'' (1845). In his later travels in southern Norway, the last in 1875, Tidemand studied folk costumes, domestic utensils and building and made himself familiar with oral traditions, folk tales and legends. His version of rusticity proved highly popular and in 1848 he was commissioned by
Oscar I, King of Sweden and Norway, to paint a series of Norwegian peasant life for the royal palace of
Oscarshall, near Christiania.
Today Adolph Tidemand is best known for this depiction of Norwegian farm and culture and is counted among the first Norwegian historic painters. In Tidemand's paintings of the old
Norwegian farm culture, he portrayed the peasant with a new dignity, humane and culturally. The
National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design (''Nasjonalgalleriet'') in
Oslo
Oslo ( or ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of 1,064,235 in 2022 ...
alone owns more than 100 of his works.
Personal life
He married in 1845 with his childhood sweetheart, Claudine Marie Bergitte Jæger (1817–1887). The couple settled in Düsseldorf in 1845. Their only child, a son, Adolph, died in 1874 at 28 years of age.
Tidemand was awarded the
Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav (''Den Kongelige Norske St. Olavs Orden'') in 1849, the
French Legion of Honor (''Légion d'honneur'') in 1855 and the Swedish
Order of the Polar Star
The Royal Order of the Polar Star (Swedish language, Swedish: ''Kungliga Nordstjärneorden''), sometimes translated as the Royal Order of the North Star, is a Swedish order of chivalry created by Frederick I of Sweden, King Frederick I on 23 F ...
(''Nordstjärneorden'') in 1866.
Better known works
* 1838 – ''Hjemvendte fiskere ved den sjællandske kyst''
* 1841 – ''Gustav Vasa taler til dalkarlene i Mora kirke''
* 1843 – ''Søndagskveld i en hardangersk røkstue''
* 1844 – ''Eventyrfortellersken''
* 1845 – ''Søndagskveld i en røykstue i Hardanger''
* 1846 – ''Norsk juleskikk''
* 1848 – ''Brudeferden i Hardanger'' (painted together with
Hans Gude)
* 1848 – ''Signe Halvorsdatter Valle i Sætersdalen''
* 1848 – ''Haugianerne'' (painted again in 1852)
* 1849 – ''De ensomme gamle'' (Also known as ''Husandakt'')
* 1849 – ''Ingeborg Andersdatter Gulsvik, FlÃ¥, som brud''
* 1851 – ''Aften pÃ¥ Krøderen'' (painted together with Hans Gude)
* 1852 – series ''Bondeliv'' i
Oscarshall
* 1852 – ''Haugianerne''
* 1853 – ''Likferd pÃ¥ Sognefjorden'' (painted together with Hans Gude)
* 1854 – ''Den foreldreløse''
* 1859 – ''Fiskere i havsnød'' (painted together with Hans Gude)
* 1865 – ''Bestemors brudekrone''
* 1865 – ''Fanatikerne''
* 1874 – ''Syneve''
* 1874 – ''Nød''
Gallery
File:Adolph Tidemand Norsk juleskik.jpg, ''Norsk juleskik'' (Norwegian Christmas customs. 1846)
File:Hans Gude & Adolph Tidemand - Lystring på Krøderen - Google Art Project.jpg, ''Lystringen'', Hans Gude and Adolph Tidemand (Fishing with a harpoon. 1851)
File:A Tidemand-Parti fra Oslo Strandgate.jpg, ''Parti fra Oslo Strandgate'' (View from Oslo Beach Street. 1852)
File:Hans Gude--Likferd Pa Sognefjorden--1853.jpg, ''Likferd Pa Sognefjorden'' (Burial at Sognefjord, with Hans Gude. 1853)
File:Folkelivsbilleder Titel.JPG, ''Norske Folkelivsbilleder'' (Norwegian folk pictures. 1854)
File:Norske Folkelivsbilleder 06 - Kortspillerne (Adolph Tidemand).jpg, ''The player at cards'', before 1858
File:Bestefaderens Erindringer (Adolph Tidemand).jpg, ''Bestefaderens Erindringer'' (Grandfather's Memories. 1865)
File:Adolph Tidemand - Skovinteriör (1869).jpg, ''Skovinteriör'' (Forest interior. 1869)
File:Adolph Tidemand Sinclairs landing.jpg, ''Sinclairs landing i Romsdal'' (Sinclair's landing. 1876 - see George Sinclair (mercenary))
References
Sources
*Askeland, Jan. ''Adolph Tidemand og hans tid'' (Oslo: Aschehoug. 1991).
*Askeland, Jan. ''Norsk Malerkunst, Hovedlinjen gjennom 200år – uten stedsangivelse'' (Oslo: Aschehoug. 1981). .
*Dietrichson, Lorentz. ''Adolph Tidemand, Hans Liv Og Hans Værker, Volumes 1-2'' (Nabu Press. 1923).
*Noss, Aagot. ''Adolph Tidemand og folk han møtte, studiar frå reisene i norske dalføre, akvarellar, målarstykke og teikningar'' (Universitetsforlaget. 1981).
*Haverkamp, Frode. ''Adolph Tidemand 1814-1876, Hans Fredrik Gude 1825-1903'' (Blaafarveværket, 1984).
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tidemand, Adolph
1814 births
1876 deaths
People from Vest-Agder
People from Mandal, Norway
19th-century Norwegian painters
Recipients of the Legion of Honour
Order of the Polar Star
Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts alumni
Norwegian male painters
19th-century Norwegian male artists
Düsseldorf school of painting