Knut Monrad (March 14, 1913 – June 23, 1987) was a Norwegian painter. He has been described as a nature poet that interpreted his experience of nature with rapid, broad brushstrokes.''Norsk kunstnerleksikon'': Knut Monrad.
/ref> In addition to his activity as a painter, Monrad also worked as a translator of English and Swedish literature. Monrad was born in

Vestre Aker Vestre Aker (Western Aker) is a List of boroughs of Oslo, borough of the city of Oslo, Norway. It has a population of 50,157 as of 2020. The previous Aker Municipality was merged into the city of Oslo in 1948. The borough of Vestre Aker was org ...

, the son of Hans Sundt Monrad and Astrid Haslum. He studied at the

Norwegian National Academy of Craft and Art Industry The National College of Art and Design () was established in 1818. In 1996, the National College of Art and Design became part of Oslo National Academy of the Arts (''Kunsthøgskolen i Oslo'', KHiO), along with the Norwegian National Academy of ...

under Karl Høgberg and at the

Norwegian National Academy of Fine Arts The Norwegian National Academy of Arts () was a former Norwegian tertiary institution in Oslo, offering studies in the area of fine art. Along with four other academies, it merged to form the Oslo National Academy of the Arts (, KHiO) in 1996. ...

under

Jean Heiberg Jean Hjalmar Dahl Heiberg (19 December 1884 – 27 May 1976) was a Norwegian painter, sculptor, designer and art professor. Personal life Heiberg was born in Kristiania (now Oslo), Norway. He was the son of Hjalmar Heiberg (1837–97) and Jea ...

. During the Second World War he studied in Bjarne Engebret's painting school. He began his artistic path relatively late, and he consistently displayed subdued naturalistic expression. Landscapes drawn in broad strokes with a view across the land or sea were his main motif. He often used a limited range of color, with gray or blue-tinted coloring interspersed with green and gray shades. He participated in 42 exhibitions from 1952 to 1980. Among group exhibitions, he took part in the Autumn Exhibition eight times from 1947 to 1972, twice in the Southern Norway Exhibition (, in 1972 and 1978), and once in the Eastern Norway Exhibition (, in 1979). He also participated in the Young Artists Society's anniversary exhibition (1975). Monrad was part of the artists' colony that developed in

Flosta Flosta is a List of former municipalities of Norway, former municipality in the old Aust-Agder Counties of Norway, county in Norway. The municipality existed from 1902 until its dissolution in 1962. It is currently part of the municipality of Ar ...

after the Second World War. Together with artists such as

Ferdinand Finne Ferdinand Oscar Finne (12 October 1910 – 31 December 1999) was a Norwegian author, painter, graphic artist, theater decorator and costume designer. Biography He was the son of Esther Lucy Egeberg (1887–1962) and Severin Finne (1883–1 ...

, Ellen Iden, Ivar Jerven,

Kjerstin Øvrelid Kjerstin Marie Øvrelid (March 16, 1929 – January 1989) was a Norwegian painter. She was known for her poetic paintings of flowers and depictions of the sea and skerries, usually those seen from Holmesund, northeast of Arendal, where she had her ...

, Liv Nergaard,

Finn Strømsted Finn Strømsted (9 June 1925 – 4 July 2003) was a Norwegian poet and visual artist. He made his literary debut in 1956 with the poetry collection ''Angelicafløyten''. Among his other collections are ''Bidevind'' from 1961, ''Susquehanna Blue ...

, Bodil Cappelen, and Finn Henrik Bodvin, an artistic environment was created that drew inspiration from nature and the

skerries A skerry is a small rocky island, usually defined to be too small for habitation. Skerry, skerries, or The Skerries may also refer to: Geography Northern Ireland *Skerries, County Armagh, a List of townlands in County Armagh#S, townland in Coun ...

.Opstad, Gunvald. 1991. ''Sørlandet og malerne''. Oslo: Aschehoug, p. 211. Many of Monrad's motifs are drawn from impressions of nature in Flosta,

Tromøy Tromøy (historic: ''Tromø'') is a former municipality in the old Aust-Agder county in Norway. The municipality existed from 1878 until its dissolution in 1992. The municipal area is now part of the municipality of Arendal in Agder county. Th ...

, and Ytre Møkkalasset Lighthouse. Monrad was married twice, to Eva Eriksen and Live Hiorth. He died in

Bærum Bærum () is a list of municipalities of Norway, municipality in the Greater Oslo Region in Akershus County, Norway. It forms an affluent suburb of Oslo on the west coast of the city. Bærum is Norway's fifth largest municipality with a populatio ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Monrad, Knut 1913 births 1987 deaths 20th-century Norwegian painters Norwegian male painters 20th-century Norwegian male artists