Nils Bergslien
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Nils Nilsen Bergslien (26 February 1853 – 18 December 1928) was a Norwegian illustrator, painter and sculptor. Nils Berglien was inspired from the legends, the history of Norway and the west Norwegian mountain landscape. He was known for his national-romantic depictions of folk life and motifs from fairy tales and legends.


Personal life

Bergslien was born in
Voss Voss () is a Municipalities of Norway, municipality and a Districts of Norway, traditional district in Vestland Counties of Norway, county, Norway. The administrative center of the municipality is the village of Vossevangen. Other villages inclu ...
in
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 ...
county, Norway. He was a son of Nils Larsen Bergslien and Sigvor Nilsdatter. His uncles were painter and artist
Knud Bergslien Knud Larsen Bergslien (15 May 1827 – 27 November 1908) was a Norwegian painter, art teacher and master artist. In his art, he frequently portrayed the lives of the Norwegian people, their history and heroes of the past. Bergslien is most asso ...
and sculptor
Brynjulf Bergslien Brynjulf Larsen Bergslien (12 November 1830 – 19 September 1898) was a noted Norwegian sculptor. Background Bergslien was born in Voss in Hordaland county, Norway. He was a son of Lars Bergeson Bergslien and Kirsten Knutsdotter Gjelle. He was ...
. He was married to Johanna Jacobsdatter Møkletun (1853–1921). The couple settled in
Eidfjord Eidfjord is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The municipality is located in the Districts of Norway, traditional district of Hardanger. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of E ...
. He died in Eidfjord in 1928.


Career

Nils Bergslien was educated by his uncle Knud Bergslien and landscape painter Morten Müller (1828–1911). He attended Morten Müller's art school in Kristiania from 1871 to 1872, 1873 and accompanied his uncle on a study trip to Germany and Austria. From 1876 to 1879, he studied at the
Academy of Fine Arts, Munich The Academy of Fine Arts, Munich (, 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, Germany. In the second half of the 19th centur ...
under Otto Seitz (1846–1912). During 1874 or 1875, he undertook a study tour in
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 ...
with
Gerhard Munthe Gerhard Peter Frantz Munthe (19 July 1849 in Elverum (town), Elverum, Hedmark – 15 January 1929 in Lysaker, Bærum Municipality, Bærum) was a Norwegian painter and illustrator. Background Munthe was born in Elverum (town), Elverum to physicia ...
and 1880, he traveled with the sculptor
Axel Ender Axel Hjalmar Ender (14 September 1853 – 10 September 1920) was a Norwegian painter and sculptor, remembered primarily for his genre painting. Biography Ender was born to a farming family at Asker in Akershus, Norway. He began his art studies f ...
and Danish poet
Holger Drachmann Holger Henrik Herholdt Drachmann (9 October 1846 – 14 January 1908) was a Danish poet, dramatist and painter. He was a member of the Skagen Painters, Skagen artistic colony and became a figure of the Scandinavian Modern Breakthrough Movem ...
over the
Hardangervidda Hardangervidda () is a mountain plateau ( Norwegian: ''vidde'') in central southern Norway, covering parts of Vestland, Telemark, and Buskerud counties. It is the largest plateau of its kind in Europe, with a cold year-round alpine climate, and o ...
mountain plateau. Nils Bergslien was known for his illustrations of folk life, his puck pictures, and for motives from legends and fairytales. His series ''Nissealbum'' was published in 1886. He decorated several hotel rooms and churches. He made caricature illustrations and designed the title
vignette Vignette may refer to: * Vignette (entertainment), a sketch in a sketch comedy * Vignette (graphic design), decorative designs in books (originally in the form of leaves and vines) to separate sections or chapters * Vignette (literature), short, i ...
of the satirical magazine '' Vikingen''. He designed a memorial of fiddler
Ola Mosafinn Ola Mosafinn (14 July 1828 – 28 December 1912) was a Norwegian Hardanger fiddle player and composer. Mosafinn is regarded among the more important fiddlers in Norway in the late 19th century. Ola Sjursson was born in Voss in Hordaland Cou ...
, the bronze relief ''Ridande Vossabrudlaup''. Over the years Bergslien was given a number of commissions. In 1886, he created the decorations to the tourist ship ''Britannia''; from 1899 to 1900 he decorated several rooms in the Hotel Café Boulevard Norway and Bergen (destroyed by fire 1916) and in the Tyssedal Hotel at
Odda Odda () is a list of former municipalities of Norway, former municipality in the old Hordaland counties of Norway, county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1913 until its dissolution in 2020 when it was merged into Ullensvang Municipality i ...
and later he made the national romantic decorations for the dining room in the Hotel Vøringfoss in
Eidfjord Eidfjord is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The municipality is located in the Districts of Norway, traditional district of Hardanger. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of E ...
. At the Bergslien Park in
Voss Voss () is a Municipalities of Norway, municipality and a Districts of Norway, traditional district in Vestland Counties of Norway, county, Norway. The administrative center of the municipality is the village of Vossevangen. Other villages inclu ...
are monuments honoring the three Bergslien artists, Brynjulf, Knud and Nils. The Nils Bergslien Gallery (''Galleri Nils Bergslien'') was established by Eidfjord municipality which owns and operates the gallery. It contains original work by Nils Berglien.


References


Other sources

*Warberg, Thor (2008) ''Bergslien-målarane : folkeliv i fargar'' (Førde : Selja forl.)


External links


Galleri Nils Bergslien
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bergslien, Nils 1853 births 1928 deaths 19th-century Norwegian painters 19th-century Norwegian male artists 20th-century Norwegian painters Norwegian male painters 20th-century Norwegian sculptors 19th-century Norwegian sculptors 20th-century Norwegian male artists People from Voss People from Eidfjord