Norwegian-American Collection
Herbjørn Gausta
"Boy Setting Trap"
Oil, ca. 1905-1908
LFAC #032
During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, about three hundred individuals were considered Norwegian-American artists, "who felt they had to speak to express their feelings by creating some object," (Rolf H. Erickson, 1986). While a universally accepted definition of "Norwegian-American art" has not been determined, the definition followed by the Chicago Norske Klub of 1920 still serves us today. Norwegian-American art was then defined as "painting and sculpture produced by artists with Norwegian backgrounds."
Over 170 works in the Luther College Fine Arts Collection were created by Norwegian-American artists. Fourteen of these artists were born in Norway and emigrated to America while eleven other artists are American but have a strong Norwegian background. Their works form a significant component of the Collection, especially meaningful since Luther College was founded by Norwegian immigrants. Some of the art works in the Norwegian-American Collection also are components of other Named Collections.
The fourteen artists born in Norway are Sigvald Asbjørnsen (sculptor and painter from Oslo); Arne Berger (painter from Valdres); Emil Biørn (painter from Oslo); Ben Blessum (painter from Marstein, Romsdalen); Nils Saebjørn Buttedahl (actor and sculptor from Lier); Herbjørn Gausta (painter from Tinn, Telemark); Claus Hoie (print-maker and painter from Stavanger); Tarkjel Landsverk (stone artisan, painter, and carver from Seljord, Telemark); Marie Løkke, aka Mrs. Finn Mathiesen (painter from Oslo); Karl Peter Andreas Ouren (painter from Halden); Gulbrand Sether (painter from Saerslovbygda, Elverum); Yngvar Sonnichsen (painter from Oslo); and Svend Rasmussen Svendsen (painter from Nittedal). One artist, Lars Haukaness, a painter from Granvin, Hardanger, is considered Norwegian-Canadian, although he spent a substantial portion of his life in the United States.
American artists born in the United States who have strong Norwegian backgrounds are Charles Nelson Beck (painter whose parents had ties to Hedemark); Paul Fjelde (sculptor whose father emigrated from Norway in 1887); Sydney Glen Fossum (painter whose father emigrated from Oslo and whose mother came from Stranden, near Ålesund); Alexander Grinager (painter whose parents emigrated from Brandbu, Hadeland); Halvor Landsverk (sculptor and carver whose father, Tarkjel, also an artist emigrated from Seljord, Telemark); Arnold Ness Klagstad (painter whose father emigrated from Vingen, Modum); John Maakestad (painter whose grandfather was born in Sørfjord, Hardanger); Gilbert P. Risvold (sculptor whose parents emigrated from Norway) and Cyrus, Orville and Paul Running (artists whose parents had family ties to the Trondheim and Nordfjord areas in north central Norway).
The Printed Word
Historically, the art produced by Norwegian-American artists was promoted most effectively in the United States through the traditional means of the printed word. This published material included books, advertising catalogs, articles and essays, and exhibit catalogs. Standard reference books focusing on American art and artists contained some references to Norwegian-American artists but the citations usually provided minimal data. Little has changed with this practice to the present day.
Norwegian-American art was also promoted through arts organizations founded where there were concentrations of Norwegian-Americans. These organizations, exemplified by the Chicago Norske Klub in Chicago, IL, the Norwegian Art and Craft Club of Brooklyn, NY, and the Norwegian Art Society in Minneapolis, MN, supported Norwegian-American artists. They provided a place where Norwegian-American art could be exhibited and loans assembled for exhibit in other venues. However, media coverage generated from the activities of these organizations was limited.
Thus the printed word not only reached the largest number of people interested in learning more about Norwegian-American art, but also left an enduring legacy for the art and artists. The books tended to profile and describe numerous Norwegian-American artists within a larger context. These studies covered more subjects than art as their titles suggest. Examples are A.E. Strand’s A History of Norwegians in Illinois (1905), Carl G. Hanson’s My Minneapolis: a Chronicle of What Has Been Learned and Observed About the Norwegians in Minneapolis Through One Hundred Years (1956), or Odd Lovoll’s A Century of Urban Life: the Norwegians in Chicago Before 1930 (1988). There are no artists in the Fine Arts Collection who are the sole subject of a book.
More recently, exposure to Norwegian-American art and artists has been widened with the publication of art books with a national scope such as William Gerdt’s Art Across America: Regional Painting in America, 1710-1920 (1990) which featured several Norwegian-American artists. Public notice for Norwegian-American artists was extended when individual images were used to illustrate books. The secondary literature textbook, Literature and Integrated Studies, published by ScottForesman (1996), featured a well-known painting by Herbjørn Gausta, "Boy Setting Trap.",
Artists publicized their own art by advertising their services in small catalogs which they had published. Arne Berger contracted for such a catalog about 1920 entitled Catalogue and Price List of Altar Paintings, Landscapes, Oil Paintings from Life and from Photographs.This catalog, which was distributed to individuals and churches, contained a price list for the particular paintings he was willing to create, examples of his art works, and testimonials from satisfied customers.
Articles and essays about Norwegian-American artists were also published. The Norwegian-American Historical Association of Northfield, MN, has published several collections of essays exemplified by the essay written by Rolf Erickson in vol. 31 of Norwegian-American Studies entitled, "Norwegian-American Artists‘ Exhibitions Described in Checklists and Catalogs" (1986). Individual artists were also surveyed in articles published in periodicals. Karl Ouren was the subject of an article in The Palette and Chisel in October 1927 while Claus Hoie wrote an article about his art in the well-known American journal, American Artist, in 1955.
Exhibit catalogs additionally have promoted the works of Norwegian-American artists such as Marion Nelson’s Paintings by Minnesotans of Norwegian Background, 1870-1970, which accompanied the Minnesota Historical Society exhibit of the same name held in St. Paul, MN, in 2000. Numerous exhibit catalogs have also been published focusing on single artists such as Syd Fossum: A Memorial, published by the University of Minnesota in 1978 to accompany a memorial exhibit of the artist’s works.
The Internet
The newest and most far-reaching method for introducing Norwegian-American artists to audiences, both nationally and internationally, is through the Internet. Internet search engines have replaced the printed word for providing immediate, fast access to information on the World Wide Web.
To take advantage of this new world of information, profiles of the Norwegian-American artists in the Luther College Fine Arts Collection are available here and are also mounted on the Artist pages of the Collection website. Information consists of essays on each of the artists which contain their biographies, information about their professional careers, and specific facts abut the particular works by these artists in the Fine Arts Collection. Each essay is followed by significant references about the artist so the researcher has pointers for conducting on-going research. At least one image of a work in the Collection by the artist illustrates each essay.
Other websites are also publishing information on Norwegian-American artists. For example, a biography on Svend Svendsen is now available on the website published by the Illinois Historical Art Project http://www.illinoisart.org/biographies/Svendsen.htm. The AskART.com website, linked to the Worldcat database of books and media available in most American libraries, also provides biographies of many Norwegian-American artists. Norwegian-American artists are also the subject of gallery and museum websites such as Claus Hoie whose works are shown at the Maritime Gallery of the Mystic Seaport Museum http://www.mysticseaport.org.
Updated
09/04/2006
|
