Theodor Kittelsen

Theodor Kittelsen self-portrait from 1888

Pesta i trappen (The plague on the steps)

Fattigmannen (the poor man)

Theodor Severin Kittelsen (born April 27, 1857 in Kragerø , † January 21, 1914 in Jeløya ) was a Norwegian artist .

He became known on the one hand for his depictions of nature and on the other hand for his illustrations of fairy tales and legends, especially of trolls .

Kittelsen first learned to be a painter and watchmaker . Later his talent is discovered and he takes lessons at the art school in Christiania. Thanks to generous financial support, he was able to continue his studies in Munich . From 1879 he had to earn his own living as a draftsman for German newspapers and magazines . Back in Norway he later discovered nature as a great inspiration . Here Kittelsen begins to write texts for his drawings himself. Kittelsen's style is somewhere between (neo-) romanticism and naive painting. Although he is valued as a national artist in Norway, he has received little international attention. His name is hardly listed in any painting dictionary. In 1955 the Kittelsengasse in Vienna - Favoriten was named after him.

Trivia

His drawings were used by the popular Norwegian black metal bands Burzum and Satyricon as a design element for two albums each and are therefore very well known in this musical subculture.

Web links

Commons : Theodor Kittelsen - Collection of images, videos and audio files

personal data
SURNAME	Kittelsen, Theodor
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Kittelsen, Theodor Severin (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Norwegian artist
DATE OF BIRTH	April 27, 1857
PLACE OF BIRTH	Kragerø , Norway
DATE OF DEATH	January 21, 1914
Place of death	Jeløya , Norway