Norway is a country rich in history and steeped in traditions and culture. The folk art of Norway is diverse; to say that there is one Norwegian style would be a gross understatement. However we can say that all the Norwegian styles fall under one category of decorative painting called ‘Rosemaling’. The word Rosemaling comes from ‘ros’ meaning rose, and ‘maling’ meaning painting… the term refers to rose paining or flower painting.  Some also state that the translation of the word ‘ros’ can also mean ‘decorate’, so the word can also infer ‘decorative painting’.

Here is a trunk painted in "Rosemaling" heavily influenced by the Rococo artistic period. This particular trunk is dated in 1790. On close examination one can see the date on the front of the artwork. Image used with permission from ~ ‘Vesterheim American Norwegian Museum’

The History Of Norwegian Folk Art - How did it come about?

The Acanthus leaf portrayed through paint and interpreted in art

The Norwegian history goes back to medieval civilizations and the days of Viking ships. Images of strong and fighting warriors wearing helmets immediately come into mind. Research suggests that perhaps the Folk Art styles of Norway may have their earliest beginnings somewhere during 800 AD which were around the time of Vikings. The art forms which were current then, revolved around intricate metal work and woodcarving. The motifs that were frequently used by the Vikings were seen as twisting serpents coming from the seas; these were combined with other motifs such as ribbon like shapes, perhaps (this is only speculation) representing or symbolic of the constant movement of the seas. 

As the Vikings traveled to other far off lands, they were influenced by other cultures, bringing back ideas or concepts which had impacted them.  The Norwegians were known for their wood carving skills, after all, Viking ships were made of wood. The Acanthus leaf which was used in the Greek and Roman cultures was adopted and incorporated in designs used to embellish metal work and their wood carvings.

As time passed the work of artists was always encouraged. It appears the way of life was appreciative of creative efforts and this may have played an important role in the development of the artistic culture not only at that time but perhaps even into the future. During the Middle Ages sometime around 900 AD and 1000AD, as the Norse Gods were replaced by Christianity, along with wood carvings, art may have been used in Norway in the traditional manner as it was used in other countries. It might have been used to decorate the Church interiors, probably to invoke devotion and as well to make the Church a place one would want to visit. History tells us that eventually this art filtered to the common people as they searched for ways to make their personal surroundings (homes) more attractive.

To understand what may have motivated their interest in art in such a manner, we must consider the geographical location of Norway; it is situated in the high Northern regions of the world.  Winters are cold and long. In some areas, over two thirds of the country lies between the 60th parallel and the artic circle and the other within the artic circle itself, we can only imagine what winters were like back then. People would have spent great amounts of time indoors, keeping warm around the family fires. Time would have passed slowly in the long winter months and as it did so; their creative energy would have to be released.  Maybe this explains why wood carving became so very popular.

These same people saw the decorations used in the Churches and the effect it had on them, perhaps it was uplifting.  In an effort to brighten their own surroundings at home they began to do the same. The interiors of homes started to reflect decorations in simple ways until about the 17th century when stronger influences from other European cultures inspired the Norwegians to embellish their interior walls with art. The upper classes used ‘painted panels’ as a way to decorate certain areas of the home, this directly connected to what was already done in other parts of Europe. These ideas and decorating concepts ultimately filtered to the local Guilds in the nearby towns and larger centers, streaming out to the country and rural craftsmen.

Norwegian Rococo Antique Trunk - ‘Vesterheim American Norwegian Museum’

These amateur artists were considered ‘rustic painters’ as their designs were based on their personal tastes and interpretations. There is a distinct difference between the artisans who worked for the town guilds and the rustic painters who worked in the country areas.  The latter developed his own style and put his signature interpretations to it, while the town craftsman was taught to reproduce the original designs.

Among these individuals might there have been the artists who were some of the early Rosemalers? Probably yes. These early artists were amateurs, but as they traveled from region to region, portions of their design elements were left behind and as the art forms matured and evolved in the different regions they took on individual ‘traits’. The artwork from the rural areas which was more spontaneous was further developed to reflect these characteristics and in the early 1700’s schools were established and the Rosemalers were expected to apprentice under a ‘Master Rosemaler’ in order to learn the trade. The technical skills were then passed down from one generation to the next, father to son and so the cycles of creativity had begun and would continued…

Each district developed its own flavor due to this.  Norway is a country which sits near the ocean, the sea encroaches on the land in the deep fiords, between the mountains are steep sided valleys and lowlands, and the different communities are located in these valleys. The cultural spirit or essence changes slightly from area to area and so did the actual styles of Rosemaling to reflect this. These styles reflected the personalities and temperament of the actual community.

Some Rosemaling styles and designs show a strong influence from the Baroque and Rococo periods. It appears that Norwegian ‘decorative art’ may connect back to the refined and academic influences of Europe. The acanthus leaf which had passed from the earlier Greek and Roman cultures, brought to Norway by the Vikings, was then paired with the ‘C’ and ‘S’ curves from the Renaissance and Baroque periods and as well the more ornate motifs of the Rococo. They were used in unison to create fluid and intricately flowing designs. Symmetry and a-symmetry was how the artists created balance, making the proportions beautiful to behold.  The colors that were favored were toned or less intense, and the artists worked with smaller limited palettes.

It seems easy for us to draw comparisons and read the similarities between the classical designs from European countries which used soft curves by incorporating the rhythmic scrolls.  Overall there are certain styles of Rosemaling which elicit the same appreciation for elegance.  Telemark is one such Rosemaling style; the stroke sophistication and the beautiful acanthus leaf certainly adding an air of softer elegance. The Telemark style relates to musical movements.

As the nineteenth century approached and widespread immigration to America began, these immigrants brought with them painted items from back home.  One of the most popular items was the travel trunk which contained all their worldly belongings. The trunk which was often the ‘dowry’ came with them.  The immigrants came from all the different regions of Norway and here we get a chance to observe an overview of the threads that make up the tapestry of Norwegian Folk Art.

Take a moment to look at the different styles as they are featured in the windows below. The images were graciously provided to us by the ‘Vesterheim American Norwegian Museum’ and ‘David Jansen MDA’ in order to showcase the individual design elements of this beautiful art form.

References:
Nils Ellingsgard – Norwegian Rose Painting
Margaret Miller and Sigmund Aarseth - Norwegian Rosemaling Decorative Painting on Wood.
Nils Ellingsgard – Norwegian Rose Painting in America - ISBN 8252131433
Aarseth’s Rosemaling Design - Sigmund Aarseth and Diane Edwards
Painted Rooms - Sigmund Aarseth - ISBN - 0967458358
Rosemaling Heirlooms of tomorrow - Joanne S. MacVey - ISBN - 0974322458

The Acanthus Leaf ~ 'Acanthaceae' has been a traditional design motif used for centuries...

	Like hundreds of artists before them, many Rosemalers (Norwegian Folk Artists) who paint in the Gudbrandsdal style will incorporate the Acanthus leaf motif into their graceful designs. For artists who are not familiar with strokework or this style of decorative painting, these scrolls are some of the fancy brushstrokes (like the example at left) that make up these decorative designs. These strokes and scrolls are combined to mimic the shape of the graceful acanthus leaf. Can you see the similarities between the real acanthus leaf below and the graceful flow of the painted design?
	Classical Design Motif: This leaf has been a traditional classical motif used by artists and wood carvers through out history. The Greeks first used the leaf in decorations and it has been found in architectural artifacts dating from the fourth and fifth centuries.
	Symbolism: The symbolic meaning of the Acanthus Leaf is that of 'art' or referring to anything artistic. The acanthus leaf motif has been used in wood carvings, as shown in the example of this antique headboard on the left. Thre popular motif has been used in wallpaper patterns, fabric patterns and to adorn the woodworking in many homes for hundreds of years.
	Woodcarving: Here is a close up of the wood carving. The beautiful and fluid movement is mimicked through the graceful scrollwork of the Gudbrandsdal style in Norwegian Rosemaling. The viewer can see how the brush is used to create the lines of these decorations. Can you pick out the 'S' and the 'C' curves? Art crosses over to many areas of society and popular motifs find their way into our lives.
William Hogarth, Rococo Period On close inspection of the design above, we can see the scroll lines and the acanthus leaf motif that was commonly used during the Rococo period. Many artforms were influenced by the Rococo period. The famous English artist William Hogarth, known for the Hogarth 's' curve so widely used by all designers, florists and artists alike, incorporated these fluid forms into his designs to add grace and symmetrical interest to frame the subjects. Can you see the scrolls and the acanthus leaves at the base as well as the top of the design above? It is always interesting, beneficial and important for the artist to understand and draw parallels between the art period and the influence it may have had on Historical Decorative painting.

Rosemaling Palettes...

Rosemallers often used the earth pigments to create their beautiful designs. These were readily available in most countries. Rosemalers are known to use traditional colors such as Prussian Blue and Venetian Red, they also use a palette of earth colors such as Yellow Ocher and Burnt Sienna as well as Burnt Umber. Strong green pigments such as Viridian Green, are also popular with Rosemalers.

• Popular Colors, Oranges, Greens, Off whites, Blues, Brick Reds, Black.

Aust Agder

Compared to other styles of Rosemaling, Aust Agder was typically painted on very dark backgrounds. Darker shades of blue and sometimes black was chosen to show off the stroked roses that were often seen in the designs. It seems that there was strong influence from the Telemark style as scrolls are often used, but appear slightly heavier.

Denmark which is a neighboring country to Norway, had some influence on the motifs that were used. The wreath has strong Danish influence.

used with permission by
©Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum

Gudbrandsdalen...
Gudbrandsdalen is a region in northern Norway. It was primarily known for being an important woodcarving area. In this particular style of Rosemaling, you will often see stylized flowers branching from the same root, rosettes, tulips, and feather like sprays resembling ferns.  A favorite subject of these artists was the portrayal of the bridal party on ale bowls, biblical scenes, quotations, framed initials, and important dates used to record all.

The traditional colors that were often used by the original artists were red, ochre yellow, green and tones of blue. Later, darker values of browns were introduced to the palette. Background colors were often painted in blues, greens, and creams, with red and ochre and ‘S’ shaped acanthus branches. One of the most important identifying characteristics of this style is the way the artist used the design, where the scrolls were almost always decorated with jagged leaves which ended in an open rosette or tulip flower. The designs were often symmetrically balanced.

Some of the secondary flowers that were used in a supporting role might be smaller open faced blossoms or little bell-shaped blooms; there was not much variety in the flowers, and we will often see the same types of flowers showing up over and over. Everything is finished with precise detailing and outlining. 

used with permission by
©Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum

Hallingdal...

Hallingdal is one of the most recognized forms of Rosemaling and is distinguished by its bold, rich colors and usually dark outlining. Hallingdal shows a creativity and imagination not found in other rosemaling styles. 

Greater importance was placed on the stylized flowers than on the scrolls. Renaissance, Rococo, and Baroque, all had an artistic influence on the Hallingdal style, with Baroque having the most influence. The favorite background color was a brick red and was decorated in rich blues, greens, reds, off-whites, and yellows; the symmetrical designs were strengthened further by bold, dark outlining.  Leaves, filler strokes, and scrolls were very dark, often the artist would use black.

Symmetrical designs that are identical or near identical can be viewed as mirror images of each other. If a central vertical axis was drawn through the center of the design, we can see that both sides match. Even at that time, these artists used certain principles of design such as 'balance'.

used with permission by
©Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum

Hardanger...

Hardanger is a time-honored picturesque district in the county of Horaland on the west coast of Norway.  The Rosemaling in Hardanger does not have its own distinct style since it was greatly influenced by the styles of Hallingdal and Telemark artists. Somewhere around the middle of the 17th century, a Renaissance flair began to surface with the appearance of four and six petal flowers, then the Rococo style followed.

Off white and red were often used as background colors, with black, yellows, and white for the designs. Depicting the wedding party was a popular theme often painted on trunks, bowls, or other useful household items, then presented to the wedding couple as a gift. Hardanger was used to decorate smaller items, chests, cupboards, trunks, bowls, and drinking vessels and other everyday items.
The city is very famous for its fine violins and violas, and for its beautiful Hardanger lace (a type of white work) and embroidery.

Hordaland...

photos used with permission by
©Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum

OS

This style of Rosemaling is one of the eight most popular styles found in the art form. It is from the Hordaland region located in the western part of Norway, that we find Os rosemaling. 

It is one of the most bright and cheerful of all rosemaling styles, with the artists often using transparent colors that are quite bright and bold. They used them with little blending.  Some of the most popular background colors for this style are black, red or sometimes off white. The artists who painted this style usually favored the bright happy color palettes to showcase their creations. In the example below we can see the overall symmetrical design on the front of the large trunk. Take note of the detailed strokework in the closeup example below.

used with permission by
©Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum

ROGALAND

The province of Rogaland on the southwest coast of Norway is a rich area due to trade, fishing, and good crops.  This coastal county, made up of fjords and small islands is considered one of the third largest urban areas of Norway.

Hallingdal, Telemark, and Vest Adger, all had a large influence on the Rogaland painters, as did Dutch and German art.  The rosemaling is characterized by fanciful flowers that are not always realistic. These might be daisies, round flowers with several petals, roses and stylized tulips.  As in Hallingdal, the flowers took on a dominant role, more so than the scrolls and the composition is often symmetrical. There is a pronounced color contrast, the scrolls are simple, and precise execution is very evident. 

The ‘American’ Rogaland is denser, more geometrical, and contains more obvious blending then the ‘free-style’ Rogaland in Norway. Backgrounds were darker with hues of red, blue, green, and dull blue green.  Two American Rosemalers who did much to promote Rogaland and make the artform popular in the Decorative painting world, were Vi Thode and Gary Albrecht.

References
Rosemaling Instructions, Rogaland Style, Vi Thode

Norwegian Folk Art by Marian Nelson - ISBN - 0789201941

used with permission by
©Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum

Romsdal

The county of Romsdal got a late start in rose painting and first began to flourish in the 1800’s. The reason given is that the homes in this county were built with a central fireplace and had a hole in the roof.  Walls and ceilings were not decorated.  It was usually smaller items such as doors, cupboards, trunks, bowls, and drinking vessels that were decorated.
The closest neighboring county is Gudbrandsdal and it greatly influenced the painting style of Romsdal.
Romsdal was most often painted on darker backgrounds with the main decorating colors of red and green; natural plant forms were painted symmetrically, scrolls were enfluenced by the Baroque period. The horn of plenty, neo-classical designs, and urns were often depicted, along with animals and flowers.

References:
Norwegian Rose Painting, Nils Ellingsgar

Rosemaling Instructions, Rogaland Style, Vi Thode

Norwegian Folk Art by Marian Nelson - ISBN - 0789201941

One can also see the use of the acanthus leaf motif in the design above.

Sigdal...

used with permission by
©Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum

TELEMARK
Telemark is a picturesque valley which lies in south central Norway, it is a very beautiful and culturally rich district.  Telemark rosemaling is on par with Hallingdal as being very recognizable with wide spread influence.  Graceful Rococo vines and Renaissance flowers are distinguishing characteristics. In Telemark it is the decorative scrolls that are dominant, the flowers are less important. 

Designs were usually asymmetrical, with the ‘C’ shape becoming the foundation or root of the design, graceful ‘S’ scrolls grew from this root intertwining with each other.  Elegant stems supporting flowers that are not necessarily realistic in nature, with leaves, often the acanthus leaf (see the example below) which is a traditional motif widely used by artists from all periods and styles, were tucked amongst the scrolls. Teardrops, parallel lines in leaves, and other finer details were delicately applied as finishing touches.

Telemark has been described as a light, airy, and elegant form of artistic expression.  The background colors were varied and could include blue-gray, gray-greens, white or light red, and black greens. If one looks closely at the style, they can see the beautiful overstroking details that were added to develop and decorate each of the scrolls and strokes.

used with permission by
©Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum

Can you see the acanthus leaf motif in the antique trunk images above?

VALDRES

Valdres lies in the Oppland Fylke and was an important traffic artery between East and West Norway. This area's Rosemaling does not have a uniform character or ‘look’ as found in the Hallingdal style; it varies from artist to artist and area to area. 
One consistency found in the Valdres however, was the leaf, ‘S’ shaped and appearing to be made with a single stroke. 

These leaves have remained the unchanged characteristic of Valdres for more than a century. The style of Valdres shows a Rococo and Neoclassical influence.  At times, artists incorporated monochromatic landscapes with festoons of flowers hanging over the clouds or a bright plant growing from the bushes. Then the acanthus scroll can be seen in some styles, in others, flowers were combined with chinoiserie, and then figures or landscape scenes of every day life were used in still other ways.  Background colors were often blues, reds, greens, off-white, and black. In the example below, one can see the distinct leaf shape incorporated into the design.

used with permission by
©Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum

VEST ADGER

Lying in the southern most district of Norway is Vest-Adger. It is located on the Atlantic coast.  From ancient times it was a prominent trade center with active ties to Holland, resulting in a strong Dutch influence in art and even clothing styles.  The earliest rosemaling found in Vest-Adger dates from the 1760’s, indicating it was not the oldest in Norway. 

The style of Vest-Adger is based on the flower baroque and the acanthus motifs, symmetry can be a dominating factor. One may see flowering trees or fanciful plants, stylized fruits or flowers branching from the same root. Rosettes, tulips, and sprays resembling ferns, all very stylized might also be included in the designs. A favorite subject for artists to paint was the portrayal of the bridal party on ale bowls, biblical scenes, quotations, framed initials, and dates. Background colors were often blues, greens, and creams, with red and ochre often used as the accent or trim colors.

Ryfylke - coming soon...

Lesja - coming soon...

Numsdal - coming soon...

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Artist Per Lysne revitalized Rosemaling in America