BARLOVENTO

Christa Zaat

Hans Dahl (Norwegian painter) 1849 - 1937
Fröliche Fahrt - Sognefjorden, Westnorwegen, s.d.
oil on canvas
67 x 100 cm.
signed Hans-Dahl Berlin
private collection

Hans Dahl, like many artists of his generation, was attracted in his youth to the fine detail of the Düsseldorf School which included both Oswald and Andreas Achenbach and Dahl’s fellow Norwegian Hans Frederik Gude. Many famous American artists were also attracted to and studied in Düsseldorf, including George Caleb Bingham, Eastman Johnson, Worthington Whittredge and the émigré Emanuel Leutze. Dahl routinely returned to Norway in the summers to paint his favorite subjects along the fjords, even while studying in Düsseldorf and after setting up permanent residence in Berlin. In 1893, he finally built a house in Balestrand in Norway close to the artist Adelsteen Normann, equally known for his fine depictions of the scope and grandeur of the deep valleys formed by these long fingers of water. He was honored in 1910 by the German Emperor with a professorship in recognition of his many achievements and for the esteem that he was held by many collectors. His vibrant depictions of the Norwegian light and her national costumes reflect strong feelings of Norwegian sovereignty which were only fully resolved in 1905 with Norway’s formal split with Sweden that had lasted since 1814