Art, Hans Dahl

Norwegian Painter Hans Dahl (1849-1937)

Hans Dahl, born19 February 1849, Granvin, died 27 July 1937, was a Norwegian painter, famous for his paintings of Norwegian fjords and surrounding landscapes.
Dahl had his first exhibition in Düsseldorf in 1876. He lived in Düsseldorf until 1888, when he moved to Berlin. Almost every summer he was back in Norway painting.
In 1893, he commissioned his summer residence to be built on the banks of the Sognefjord at Balestrand. This was a popular and picturesque area frequented by artists of the time.
After 1919, Dahl no longer traveled to Berlin, he lived permanently in Balestrand which became a popular tourist destination in western Norway.
 The German emperor, Kaiser Wilhelm II, became one of Dahl's most loyal 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 to Modernism. In the 1890s a new school of art arose, and artists like Dahl became unfashionable.
He was openly criticised by the art historian Jens Thiis and several of his fellow artists especially by Christian Krohg.
Krohg was one of the leading figures in the transition from romanticism to naturalism which characterized Norwegian art in this period.
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 are simplistic but have remained popular.
Hans Dahl was married to Helene Bewer, the daughter of the German painter Clemens Bewer (1820-1884). Their son was the Norwegian painter Hans Andreas Dahl (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 Balestrand in Sogn og Fjordane during 1937. His grave is located in the churchyard of Tjugum.
Music by Altan, an Irish folk music group.

Tags: art sunday, hansdahl

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delete reply asolotraveler wrote on Nov 14, '11 peacefully lovely!

delete reply bjorbo wrote on Nov 13, '11 very tranquil and misty! i love the fjords, too. Lovely! thanks for stopping by my place. :-)

delete reply pestep55 wrote on Nov 13, '11 These are so peaceful to me, wonderful /:-)

delete reply esoterika713 wrote on Nov 13, '11 Lovely just lovely.

delete reply greenwytch wrote on Nov 13, '11 beautiful images, all of them. pretty colors and powerful seas. i think the top one is my favorite. ; )

delete reply brendainmad wrote on Nov 13, '11 I was thinking the landscape reminds me of Scotland, and then I saw your comment confirming it. Why do people have criticise something because it's not the latest? I like his works.

delete reply rabbitfriendhere wrote on Nov 13, '11 Beautiful art and country! The mountain scenery reminds me of Switzerland and Heidi quite a bit.

delete reply nemo4sun wrote on Nov 13, '11 back for a second visit the country is so lovely :)

edit delete reply forgetmenot525 wrote on Nov 12, '11 aaranaardvark said I'd call this school Pollyanna Realism is forced to give it a title.. 'Pollyanna'................never thought od it like that but yep, the term fits. Thats a great site thanks.

edit delete reply forgetmenot525 wrote on Nov 12, '11 mitchylr said can see why his contemporaries might have criticised his work. It is rather simplistic and unchallenging, I know exactly what you mean, I see similarities with John Waterhouse, but Waterhouse is ( in my opinion) much better, its the water and the boats on water that remind me of Waterhouse the most.

delete reply aaranaardvark wrote on Nov 12, '11, edited on Nov 12, '11 I quite like these pictures for different reasons to why I like modernist ones. Obviously they are idealised images of life in and on the fjords but that's what I like about them. They very much remind me of railway, shipping and early air travel posters from the 'between the wars' period of the 20th century....they whet the appetite and draws us to the subject. http://www.travelpostersonline.com/england-travel-posters-31-c.asp I find them sort of cheery more than intriguing, but his capture of the movement of the sea is what marks them out as fine art to me...I'd call this school Pollyanna Realism is forced to give it a title.. Thanks for introducing the work of Hans Dahl to me Loretta, I hadn't seen it before.

delete reply mitchylr wrote on Nov 12, '11 I can see why his contemporaries might have criticised his work. It is rather simplistic and unchallenging, but that's not a bad thing in my opinion. I rather like his portrayal of the Norwegian landscapes and people.

delete reply nemo4sun wrote on Nov 11, '11 i love his water now i am pining for the fjords :)

edit delete reply forgetmenot525 wrote on Nov 11, '11 I think the reason I quite like these is because they are so similar to many of the scottish paintings of the time. I think this shows how similar the terrain is and that the two countries share a common fishing culture.