Axel Hjalmar Ender (14 September 1853- 10 September 1920) was a Norwegian painter and sculptor, remembered primarily for his

genre Genre () is any form or type of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially-agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other ...

painting .

Biography

Ender was born to a farming family at

Asker Asker ( no, Asker), properly called Askerbygda in Norwegian, is a district and former municipality in Akershus, Norway. From 2020 it is part of the larger administrative municipality Asker, Viken (also known as Greater Asker) in Viken count ...

Akershus Akershus () is a traditional region and current electoral district in Norway, with Oslo as its main city and traditional capital. It is named after the Akershus Fortress in Oslo. From the middle ages to 1919, Akershus was a fief and main county ...

, Norway. He began his art studies from 1867 to 1871 with the sculptor,

Julius Middelthun Julius Olavus Middelthun (3 July 1820 – 5 May 1886) was a Norwegian sculptor and educator. He is most associated with his busts and statues. Biography Middelthun was born at Kongsberg in Buskerud, Norway. He was the son of Georg Middelthun (17 ...

, at the

Royal Drawing School The Royal Drawing School is a not-for-profit educational organisation and registered charity in the London Borough of Hackney in England. It was founded in 2000 by King Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and artist Catherine Goodman as The Prin ...

. He later attended the

Royal Swedish Academy of Arts The Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts ( sv, Kungliga Akademien för de fria konsterna), commonly called the Royal Academy, is located in Stockholm, Sweden. An independent organization that promotes the development of painting, sculpture, archite ...

(1872–74) and the

Academy of Fine Arts, Munich The Academy of Fine Arts, Munich (german: Akademie der Bildenden Künste München, 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, ...

(1875–80), with financial support from King Charles IV. He also conducted study trips to Munich (1875) and Paris (1878). From 1874 to 1875, he was a tutor for

Erik Werenskiold Erik Theodor Werenskiold (11 February 1855 – 23 November 1938) was a Norwegian painter and illustrator. He is especially known for his drawings for the Asbjørnsen and Moe collection of ''Norske Folkeeventyr'', and his illustrations for th ...

, who was only two years his junior His most notable project was the bronze sculpture of

Peter Tordenskjold Peter Jansen Wessel Tordenskiold (28 October 1690 – 12 November 1720), commonly referred to as Tordenskjold (), was a Norwegian nobleman and flag officer who spent his career in the service of the Royal Dano-Norwegian Navy. He rose to the rank ...

, Vice-Admiral in the

Royal Danish-Norwegian Navy The history of the Danish navy began with the founding of a joint Dano-Norwegian navy on 10 August 1510, when King John appointed his vassal Henrik Krummedige to become "chief captain and head of all our captains, men and servants whom we now ha ...

. His commission for the statue was the result of a major artistic competition. Ender worked for ten years (1891–1901) to complete his work which now stands at

Rådhusplassen Rådhusplassen ("The City Hall Square") is a square located between Oslo City Hall and the Oslofjord in Vika, Oslo, Norway. Previously used as a road and part of European route E18, it has since 1994 served as a recreational area. North of the squa ...

Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) 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 ...

. The competition for creating the statue was originally won by another sculptor,

Anders Svor Anders Svor (December 14, 1864 – May 2, 1929) was a Norwegian sculptor. He was a realist influenced by Romanticism, and Auguste Rodin was also an important inspiration. His work was also part of the sculpture event in the art competition a ...

, but the actual work was assigned to Ender. Unveiled at Tordenskjolds plass in

Pipervika Pipervika is a neighborhood in the borough Sentrum in Oslo, Norway. It is located between the Oslofjord, Akershus Fortress and The City Hall Square. Today the term Pipervika is primarily used for the bay between the fortress and Aker Brygge. Thi ...

on 17 May 1901, it was moved to its current location on Rådhusplassen in 1955. For his finished work, Ender was made a Knight in the

Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav The Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav ( no, Den Kongelige Norske Sankt Olavs Orden; 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 ...

. His paintings were frequently in the category of Romantic nationalism. Many of his early works were exhibited at the Christiania Kunstforening (now Oslo Kunstforening), a conservative art association run by non-artists. Altarpieces of his creation may be seen at Åsnes Church in

Hedmark Hedmark () was a county in Norway before 1 January 2020, bordering Trøndelag to the north, Oppland to the west, Akershus to the south, and Sweden to the east. The county administration is in Hamar. Hedmark and Oppland counties were merg ...

, Haug Church in Ringerike, Kampen Church in Oslo, Østre Porsgrunn Church in

Telemark Telemark is a traditional region, a former county, and a current electoral district in southern Norway. In 2020, Telemark merged with the former county of Vestfold to form the county of Vestfold og Telemark. Telemark borders the traditional ...

and Lunner Church in

Oppland Oppland is a former county in Norway which existed from 1781 until its dissolution on 1 January 2020. The old Oppland county bordered the counties of Trøndelag, Møre og Romsdal, Sogn og Fjordane, Buskerud, Akershus, Oslo and Hedmark. Th ...

. The altarpiece which he designed for the former

Molde Cathedral Molde Cathedral ( no, Molde domkirke) is a cathedral of the Church of Norway in Molde Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is located in the town of Molde. It is the church for the ''Molde domkirke'' parish as well as the seat of ...

Møre og Romsdal Møre og Romsdal (; en, Møre and Romsdal) is a county in the northernmost part of Western Norway. It borders the counties of Trøndelag, Innlandet, and Vestland. The county administration is located in the town of Molde, while Ålesund is t ...

, was retained and stands today at the north wall of the new basilica which was constructed in 1957. He also designed Christmas cards, featuring winter activities.

Gallery

Axel Ender Pa skoytebanen.jpg, ''On the skating rink'' Axel Ender - Sledekjøring på isen.jpg, ''Sledding on the ice'' Axel Ender - Vinterutflukt.jpg, '' Winter getaway'' File:Axel Ender Young girl skating on a frozen lake, Norway.jpg, ''Young girl on a frozen lake'' File:Axel Ender - Kvinne ved utsiktpost.jpg, ''Young Woman at an

Overlook A scenic viewpoint – also called an observation point, viewpoint, viewing point, vista point, lookout, scenic overlook,These terms are more commonly used in North America. etc. – is an elevated location where people can view scenery (often w ...

'' File:Axel Ender - Pike på kjøkkenet.jpg, ''Girl in the kitchen''

References

External links

ArtNet: Anders Hjalmar Ender gallery
1853 births 1920 deaths People from Asker 19th-century Norwegian painters 20th-century Norwegian painters Norwegian male painters Norwegian sculptors Genre painters Religious artists Oslo National Academy of the Arts alumni Academy of Fine Arts, Munich alumni Norwegian expatriates in Sweden Norwegian expatriates in Germany Recipients of the St. Olav's Medal 19th-century Norwegian male artists 20th-century Norwegian male artists {{Norway-painter-stub