Kristine (Kris) Torne née Laache (1 February 1867 – 24 April 1946, Florence, Italy) was a Norwegian painter and

textile artist Textile arts are arts and crafts that use plant, animal, or synthetic fibers to construct practical or decorative objects. Textiles have been a fundamental part of human life since the beginning of civilization. The methods and materials use ...

. In 1894, she was one of ten artists who participated in the

Vågåsommeren Vågåsommeren or the Vågå Summer was a Norwegian artists' collective which came together in Vågå, Innlandet County, in 1894. It consisted of ten painters, all of whom had spent the previous year studying art at Harriet Backer's school in Kri ...

artists' colony in

Vågå Municipality Vågå () is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the Traditional districts of Norway, traditional district of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of ...

, Innlandet County. After painting landscapes and portraits, one of which won a prize at the

1900 Paris Exposition The Exposition Universelle of 1900 (), better known in English as the 1900 Paris Exposition, was a world's fair held in Paris, France, from 14 April to 12 November 1900, to celebrate the achievements of the past century and to accelerate develop ...

, in 1906 she began creating embroidered works and rugs based on cartoons by her husband

Oluf Wold-Torne Oluf Wold-Torne (7 November 1867 – 19 March 1919) was a Norwegian painter, illustrator, educator and designer. He was known primarily for landscapes and still-lifes and was influenced by Cézanne. Biography He was born in Son (now Vestby), Nor ...

Biography

Born on 1 February 1867, possibly

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 ...

Steinkjer or is a municipality in Trøndelag Counties of Norway, county, Norway. It is part of the Innherad Districts of Norway, region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the Steinkjer (town), town of Steinkjer which is located on the inne ...

, Christine Laache was the daughter of

Nils Jacob Laache Niels Jacob Jensen Laache (6 November 1831 – 5 February 1892) was a Norwegian revivalist, writer, and bishop. Laache was born in 1831 in Ullensaker, Norway. He received his theology degree in 1858 and became a priest in 1863. For the next 20 ...

(1831–1892), a priest and later bishop of Trondheim, and his wife Oline Andrine Nielsen (1835–1911). She was one of six children. In 1897, she married the painter Oluf Wold-Torne (1867–1919). In the 1890s, she studied under

Eilif Peterssen Hjalmar Eilif Emanuel Peterssen (4 September 1852 – 29 December 1928) was a Norwegian painter. He is most commonly associated with his landscapes and portraits. He gained early recognition for the history painting ''Christian II signing t ...

and

Harriet Backer Harriet Backer (21 January 1845 – 25 March 1932) was a Norwegian painter who achieved recognition in her own time and was a pioneer among female artists both in the Nordic countries and in Europe generally. She is best known for her detailed ...

and from 1899 to 1900, she was a student of Jens Ferdinand Willumsen in Copenhagen. RingerikeMalere1899

In 1894, Kris Laache spent the summer in Vågå together with a group of painters who were interested in advancing from the clear

Realism Realism, Realistic, or Realists may refer to: In the arts *Realism (arts), the general attempt to depict subjects truthfully in different forms of the arts Arts movements related to realism include: *American Realism *Classical Realism *Liter ...

of the times to a more atmospheric approach to painting with deeper colour and in a simpler style. In addition to

Kristen Holbø Kristen Holbø (13 September 1869 – 19 October 1953) was a Norway, Norwegian Painting, painter and illustrator, most noted for his landscapes. Biography He was born on Sygard Holbø in Vågå in Oppland county, Norway. He studied under Knud Be ...

who was a native of Vågå, they included

Halfdan Egedius Halfdan Egedius (May 5, 1877 – February 2, 1899) was a Norwegian painter and illustrator. Biography Halfdan Johnsen Egedius was born in Drammen in Buskerud county and grew up in Christiania (now Oslo). His interest in painting and illustrati ...

Lars Jorde Lars Jorde (22 May 1865 – 25 September 1939) was a Norwegian painter and illustrator. Biography He was born at Vang Municipality in Hedmark, Norway. He entered the Norwegian National Academy of Craft and Art Industry in 1889. He studied under ...

Thorvald Erichsen Thorvald Erichsen (18 July 1868 - 23 December 1939) was a Norwegian Post-Impressionist painter; known primarily for landscapes and still-lifes. Biography Thorvald Erichsen was born at Trondheim, Norway. He was the son of Ernst Erichsen (1820-1 ...

Alfred Hauge Alfred Hauge (17 October 1915 – 31 October 1986) was a Norwegian educator, journalist, novelist, poet and historian. He wrote extensively about life on the Ryfylke islands and about Norwegian-American emigration. Biography Hauge was born ...

, Oluf Wold-Torne,

Alice Pihl Alice Dagny Pihl Salvesen (1869–1959) was a Norwegian painter. In 1894, she was one of ten artists who participated in the Vågåsommeren artists' colony in Vågå, Innlandet County. She was principally a portrait painter but also created mood ...

Johanna Bugge Berge Johanna Bugge Berge (1874–1961) was a Norwegian painter, illustrator and church decorator. In 1894, she was one of ten artists who participated in the Vågåsommeren artists' colony in Vågå, Innlandet County. After marrying Rikard Berge in 190 ...

and

Lalla Hvalstad Ragnhild (Lalla) Hvalstad (1875–1962) was a Norwegian painter and ceramist. In 1894, she was one of ten artists who participated in the Vågåsommeren artists' colony in Vågå, Innlandet County. After painting portraits, interiors and landscap ...

. Now known as "Vågåsommeren" (the Vågå Summer), the event was a considerable success, resulting in several of the painters returning to Kristiania with mood paintings. That autun, together with Phil, Bugge Berge and Hvalstad, Laache established an association in Kristiania known as "Den dekorative forening" (The Decorative Society). After returning to Vågå in 1895, in 1897 Kris Torne painted in

Kviteseid Municipality Kviteseid is a municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is located in the traditional districts of Vest-Telemark and Upper Telemark. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Kviteseidbyen. Other villages in Kviteseid ...

in Bratsberg county, together with a group including Wold-Torne, whom she had just married, Hvalstad and Erichsen. Thanks to a series of grants, she was able to travel to France and Italy. At the 1900 Paris Exposition, her "Portrait of a Young Girl" received an award. Together with her husband, in 1904 she spent a year in Italy. She continued to paint portraits and landscapes for a number of years before turning to textile art. Working from her husband's cartoons, she embroidered decorative works and created rugs. In 1925, in an exhibition with the Artists Association (Kunstnerforbundet), she presented textile works and paintings she had created over the previous 25 years, including her self-portrait from 1899, her prize-winning Paris portrait,

figure painting A figure painting is a work of fine art in any of the Painting#Painting media, painting media with the primary subject being the human figure, whether clothed or Nude (art), nude. Figure painting may also refer to the activity of creating such ...

s from Italy and landscapes. Kris Torne died in

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

, Italy, on 24 April 1946.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Torne, Kris 1867 births 1946 deaths 19th-century Norwegian painters 20th-century Norwegian painters Norwegian textile designers Women textile artists Norwegian women artists People from Steinkjer 20th-century Norwegian women painters 19th-century Norwegian women painters Norwegian embroiderers