ADOLPH TIDEMAND

Adolph Tidemand was Norway's foremost folk painter in the 19th century. He made it a life's work to present the life and customs of the Norwegian farmer. He is a unifying figure in national romanticism and inspired many of the poets of the time with his pictures, including Andreas Munch and Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson. The last half of the 1840s is often regarded as an artistic heyday for Tidemand; then he painted masterpieces such as Bridal Procession on the Hardangerfjord (1848, together with Hans Gude), These early pictures are characterized by an idealizing depiction of the Norwegian farmer. Later pictures strike a more dramatic and realistic tone. This applies to pictures such as Tvekamp in a peasant wedding (1864) and Fanatikerne (1866), both masterpieces from his later production.