Hans Dahl (19 February 1849 – 27 July 1937) was a Norwegian painter. He was best known for his paintings of Norwegian fjords and surrounding landscapes.

Background

Hans Dahl was born in the village of Granvin, on the

Hardangerfjord The Hardangerfjord () is the fifth longest fjord in the world, and the second longest fjord in Norway. It is located in Vestland county in the Hardanger region. The fjord stretches from the Atlantic Ocean into the mountainous interior of No ...

Hordaland Hordaland () was a county in Norway, bordering Sogn og Fjordane, Buskerud, Telemark, and Rogaland counties. Hordaland was the third largest county, after Akershus and Oslo, by population. The county government was the Hordaland County Munici ...

, Norway. His talent was already evident when Dahl was 16 years old. However, it was only after service in the army that Dahl received artistic education. Hans Dahl was educated first to become an officer and became a lieutenant in 1871. He served in the Bergenske Brigade until 1874. After leaving the army, he apprenticed with Johan Fredrik Eckersberg and Knud Bergslien. He went to

Karlsruhe Karlsruhe ( ; ; ; South Franconian German, South Franconian: ''Kallsruh'') is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, third-largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, after its capital Stuttgart a ...

, where he studied under Hans Fredrik Gude and and then 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 ...

, where his teachers included Eduard von Gebhardt and Wilhelm Sohn. His art became 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 ...

, which was characterized by finely detailed yet still fanciful landscapes.

Career

Dahl had his first exhibition in Düsseldorf in 1876. Dahl lived in

until 1888, when he moved to Berlin. Almost every summer, he was back to Norway. In 1893, he commissioned the firm of Jacob Digre in

Trondheim Trondheim ( , , ; ), historically Kaupangen, Nidaros, and Trondhjem (), is a city and municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. As of 2022, it had a population of 212,660. Trondheim is the third most populous municipality in Norway, and is ...

to build his summer residence, . It is located on the banks of the

Sognefjord The Sognefjord or Sognefjorden (, ), nicknamed the King of the Fjords (), is the list of Norwegian fjords, longest and deepest fjord in Norway. Located in Vestland county in Western Norway, it stretches inland from the ocean to the small village ...

Balestrand Balestrand is a former municipality in Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway. It was located on the northern shore of the Sognefjorden in the traditional district of Sogn. The administrative center was the village of Balestrand. Other villages i ...

in the county of

Sogn og Fjordane Sogn og Fjordane (; literally "Parish and the Fjords") was a Counties of Norway, county in western Norway, from 1 January 1919 to 31 December 2019, after it was merged to become part of Vestland county. Bordering previous counties Møre og Romsda ...

. Norwegian painter Adelsteen Normann had settled in Balestrand during 1891. Dahl's villa was of a similar design to the villa built for Normann. Between 1888 and 1919, Dahl lived mostly in Berlin-Wilmersdorf, and spent only the summer in Balestrand. After 1919, Dahl no longer traveled to Berlin. Balestrand became a much visited tourist destination in western Norway. German emperor,

Kaiser Wilhelm II Wilhelm II (Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert; 27 January 18594 June 1941) was the last German Emperor and King of Prussia from 1888 until his abdication in 1918, which marked the end of the German Empire as well as the Hohenzollern dynasty ...

, became one of Dahl's patrons, conferring a professorship upon him in 1910, and visiting Dahl in Balestrand several summers in a row. Dahl resisted the transition in art from

romanticism Romanticism (also known as the Romantic movement or Romantic era) was an artistic and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century. The purpose of the movement was to advocate for the importance of subjec ...

modernism Modernism was an early 20th-century movement in literature, visual arts, and music that emphasized experimentation, abstraction, and Subjectivity and objectivity (philosophy), subjective experience. Philosophy, politics, architecture, and soc ...

. In the 1890s a new school of art arose, and artists like Dahl were not very popular in the leading circles in the capital. He was particularly criticised by the art historian Jens Thiis. He was severely criticized by fellow artists especially by

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 ...

, who was one of the leading figures in the transition from romanticism to naturalism which characterized Norwegian art in this period. Throughout his life, he increasingly narrowed his range of topics. Dahl often described the scenery of the western part of Norway in brilliant sunshine with smiling people in national costumes. His vibrant colors and charming portrayals of young Norwegian girls in their national costume have always been very popular.

Personal life

Hans Dahl was married to Helene Bewer, the daughter of the German painter Clemens Bewer (1820–1884). Their son was the Norwegian painter (1881–1919), who died of tuberculosis at the age of 37. In 1902 Dahl was appointed knight of the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav, 1st class. Hans Dahl died in

during 1937. His grave is located in the churchyard of Tjugum Church. Hans Dahl
''Salmonsens konversationsleksikon'' File:Dahl Hans (Norwegian) 1849 to 1937 By The FJord O C 49.5 by 67.3 cm.jpg, ''By the Fjord'' File:Hans Dahl - By the Water's Edge.jpg, ''By the Water's Edge'' File:Hans Dahl - Fiord with sailing boat.jpg, ''Fjord with sailing boat'' File:Hans Dahl - Upon sunny waves.jpg, ''Upon Sunny Waves'' File:Dahl Hans - Beim Heutransport 52x36cm.jpg, ''Transporting Hay '' File:Dahl Hans 1901 41x68cm.jpg, ''Boating in Balestrand'' File:On the Mountaintop.jpg, ''On the Mountaintop'' File:Dahl Hans - Sognefjord von seinem Grundstück in Balestrand 1920 21x30cm.jpg, ''Sognefjord Near Summer Home in Balestrand'' File:Hans-dahl peasant-girl.jpg, ''Peasant Girl'' File:Hans Dahl - On the banks of the Fjord.jpg, ''On the banks of the Fjord'' File:Hans-Dahl sommerwind.jpg, ''Sommerwind'' File:On the Fjord by Hans Dahl.jpg, ''On the Fjord''

References

External links

Villa StrandheimTjugum kyrkje
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dahl, Hans 1849 births 1937 deaths People from Granvin Kunstakademie Düsseldorf alumni Düsseldorf school of painting Norwegian landscape painters 19th-century Norwegian painters 20th-century Norwegian painters Norwegian male painters Norwegian expatriates in Germany Order of Saint Olav 19th-century Norwegian male artists 20th-century Norwegian male artists