The development of landscape art in the Scandinavian countries often acquired the character of a dialogue with European traditions, yet painting in the individual countries took divergent routes. This book identifies and analyzes the different types of landscape painting that dominated the separate countries, beginning with the cultivated landscape, shaped by man, that was the typical subject in Danish Golden Age art up to 185O. Interest in the classical landscape, prominent in Nordic art in the first half of the century, shifted in Norway and Sweden beginning in the late 184OS and focused increasingly on the northern wilderness and the sublime qualifies that it represented. Toward the end of the century, landscape painting became an important tool for defining the national character of the Scandinavian countries, particularly Finland, which was struggling for independence from Russia, and Norway, which broke out of its union with Sweden in 1905. As the Symbolist landscape achieved its breakthrough in all the Nordic countries and dominated the mood paintings of the National Romantics, this period generated many of the great masterpieces of Nordiclandscape painting.
Book Description
In this richly illustrated book, Torsten Gunnarsson provides for the first time a comprehensive study of landscape painting in Scandinavia during its vital period of development in the nineteenth century. Scandinavia's search for a national identity, combined with its strong sense of communion with nature, fueled a growing interest in landscape painting in the 1800s. Gunnarsson shows how the magnificent wilderness became a symbol of Nordic strength and vigor, as well as a counter-image to industrialization and European urban culture.
Editorial Reviews
Review
Mr. Gunnarsson provides more than a catalogue of painters and their lives. He examines the ideas and political situations that led, after the Napoleonic Wars, to the realization among Scandinavian artists that fjords and fir trees are as paintable as Roman ruins, and silvery northern mist as interesting as golden Italian sunlight. The book is lavishly illustrated with excellent, often striking works-- most of them located in Scandinavian museums. Those painters found an appreciative audience on their home ground. -- The Atlantic Monthly, Phoebe Lou Adams
Language Notes
Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Swedish
Original Language: Swedish
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Dramatic landscapes,
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This review is from: Nordic Landscape Painting in the Nineteenth Century (Hardcover)
Nordic Landscape Painting discusses the progress of landscape painting by Nordic artists during the nineteenth century and just ventures into the beginning of the twentieth century. Nordic is defined as the Scandinavian countries: Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, and Denmark.
While it is entitled Nordic Landscape Painting, it is perhaps is more correctly Nordic landscape painting artists. Some of these artists of course travelled in Europe, painting on their travels, so not all the work is necessarily of Nordic landscapes. The comprehensive and extensive text discusses the advancement of landscape painting in Scandinavia, it does so by taking each country in turn it as it moves chronologically through each phase of development, and in turn considers the artists individually. It takes into account the influences brought to bear and makes reference to developments elsewhere in Europe. It is an almost entirely objective and well researched appraisal, the subjective view being supplied primarily by quotations from contemporary critics. It concludes with some extensive notes and a selected bibliography. It is well illustrated, some of the paintings are accompanied by the artist's preliminary sketch or painting, and occasionally by a photograph of the actual scene, but this less so as we move forward in time as the artist of course produced the finished work directly. Attractively and sensibly laid out, with the pictures on the same page or very close to the page on which they are discussed Within its nearly 300 pages it contains 217 colour illustrations and 57 black and white pictures, all beautifully reproduced. A few of these are presented full page, and while some are relatively small many up to half page or more. It tends to concentrate on the social/political aspect of the painting as opposed to artistic expression, and makes little if any reference to painting technique. While there are one or two close-ups of detail of some paintings (and I would have liked a few more), no indication is given of the scale of the close up; this makes it difficult to truly assess the painters approach. However the is no questioning the dramatic power of some of the images, there is some stunning work here; all in all it is a worthy publication.
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
As promised,
By Linda "chronic gifter" (Schaumburg, IL) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Nordic Landscape Painting in the Nineteenth Century (Hardcover)
The book's condition was excellent and delivery was quick. It was a present for my husband's birthday and he loves it. The reproductions are in vivid color.
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