With national romanticism, we associate high mountains and deep valleys, white-trunked birch trees and mighty waterfalls. Painters such as JC Dahl and Tidemann and Gude cultivated the Norwegian. But it was not only in the art of painting that a national identity was sought: the architects turned their gaze away from the continental, classicist style ideals, and allowed themselves to be fascinated by the unique Norwegian Middle Ages. In the traditional building practice, the idea was to find something genuine and original – a Norwegian heritage that was not influenced and “contaminated” by Danish or Swedish impulses. Old barns, dark storehouses, rickety log cabins and modest houses of worship now gained honor and dignity. This transitional period between the 1850s and the 1920s is the subject of the National Museum’s exhibition “Dragers and Laft”. ROMANTIC: “From Gulsvik in Hallingdal” by Adolph Tidemand (1848). Photo: Adolph Tidemand / The National Museum Examples of horror and splendor The exhibition is shown in two halls on the first floor of the museum. Here we can see how medieval roof riders, dragon heads and andreascors were included as decorative elements in much architecture in this phase. In the exhibition, we get to know both the historical architecture that formed the starting point, but also a wide range of examples of buildings that draw inspiration from them. There are photographs, drawings, models and paintings. ROMANTIC: Johan Christian Dahl, “Kaupanger med Vang kirke”, 1848. We like to say that the artists who took their sketch pad into Jotunheimen discovered the mountain. Of course they didn’t. Over the centuries, people had made pilgrimages between East Norway and West Norway. Anecdotes tell how fine people in the 18th century pulled down the curtains in the carriage while driving across Dovre to avoid seeing the “ugly”, barren landscape. Only a generation later, the mountain was the very image of the Norwegian folk soul and man’s eternal longing for beauty. People paid tribute to the unique Norwegian nature, but also placed some rafted cabins or stave churches to emphasize the national, as here. Photo: Jørgen Larsson / Grieg Art Collection It is not without reason that this national architecture has been the subject of some criticism. Too much of what was created fell into mere stylistic copies. A horror example in the exhibition is Henrik Bull and Karl Norum’s sketches for the Neiden chapel in Sør-Varanger. Neither at Bull nor at Norum do spires and towers appear to be an integral part of the building body. Many of the protruding elements do not appear to have any load-bearing function, but appear as ornaments stuck on the outside. Henri Bull’s draft for the Neiden chapel. The small village in Sør-Varanger was populated by Skolt Sami, Kvens and Russians. But there is supposed to have been only one Norwegian family living there at the time the lavish chapel was built. Photo: Andreas Harvik / The National Museum The exhibition offers a number of great architectural drawings. This is Arnstein Arneberg’s drawing with watercolors of Eidsvold folkehøgskole. These old architectural drawings show how closely linked the artistic and building techniques were in the old architectural profession. Photo: Andreas Harvik / National Museum Franz Wilhelm Schiertz, “Vang old church in the past”, 1841. The painter JC Dahl was among the first to see the value of stave churches for a time. He was a pioneer in the preservation of ancient monuments and fought for the preservation of the old churches. Photo: Credit: bpk / Kunstbibliothek, SMB / Dietmar Katz When you look at this type of architecture, you may be inclined to understand Adolf Loos, who in 1908 criminalized ornamentation. But fortunately there are also more successful attempts. An architect who skilfully managed to simplify and modernize the medieval style was Christian Heinrich Grosch. Here I think that one could successfully draw in Tromsø Cathedral as a splendid example from his hand. Instead, in my eyes, a slightly less successful draft of an example wooden church is shown. But here too we see how Grosch managed to create something new out of the old. CHANGE IN IDEALS OF BEAUTY: Around 1860, stave churches were considered the most beautiful and unique of all, but only a generation before they were considered dark, unsuitable and primitive. The classicist architect Lindstow, who also designed the royal castle, described the stave churches as “Materials-loosening, impractical structures with ornaments in a raw style…” In Romanticism, the Borgund Stave Church (picture) was hailed as the most Norwegian of the Norwegian. It is also our best-preserved stave church today. Photo: Knud Knudsen Can a woman be an architect? Another interesting aspect brought to the fore with the exhibition is the discussion at the time about whether women even had the mental capacity to master the complex profession of architecture. There were few female architects. Those who operated in the field were assigned what were considered “appropriate” tasks. For example, Lilla Hansen was invited to help develop desirable apartments for housewives. ORIGINAL NORSE CULTURE: In the 400-year long union with Denmark, Norway had only been a province of the Danish kingdom. But in the new union with Sweden after 1814, Norway had much greater freedom. There were two countries under one king. And Norway had its own constitution and its own national assembly. This small space of freedom awakened a greater longing for independence and led to a leap in nation-building. At this time, Norway was very Danish, and art historian Lorenz Diettrichson believed that one had to go out into the countryside to find what was originally Norwegian. In the farmer’s world, the old Norwegian traditions lived on – they spoke Norwegian, and they used the knife as in the Middle Ages. Treskurden (wood carving) was seen as the most primitive expression of Norwegian culture. Photo: Børre Høstland / The National Museum As a designer, Lilla Hansen also collaborated with her more famous sister Frida Hansen, who is one of our leading weaving artists. In the exhibition we can see a chair designed by Lilla Hansen, with a woven chair cover created by her sister. Female architects around 1900 is an incredibly interesting topic, but in this context I perceive it as a derailment from the main theme. The curator could successfully save these important perspectives for a later exhibition. TEXTILES AND FURNITURE: In the 16th and 18th centuries, we saw in the rose painting here at home, reflections of the lavish, ornamental baroque and rococo styles on the continent. These traditional peasant roses have again been simplified and modernized by our great weaver Frida Hansen. A wonderful piece of handicraft that you can experience in the exhibition. Photo: The National Museum / Børre Høstland The introspective character of “Dragers and laft” undoubtedly requires a certain depth. It is not an exhibition that is very easily accessible. It unfolds as a kind of knowledge-saturated publication with rich illustrations in the form of models, objects and furniture that bring the whole to life. And you almost have to read the texts to fully benefit from the exhibition. BAD REPUTATION: Christian Heinrich Grosch’s draft for a wooden church with room for 396 people. Romantic architecture has gained a very bad reputation. It is reviled as a phase of pure style theft. And there are many examples that the blending of styles in historicism was not so successful. But Christian Heinrich Grosch was someone who managed to create something new out of the old. The church shows how he expertly creates a simplification, modernization and popularization of the Gothic principles of form. Photo: The National Museum / Ina Wesenberg The dark brown-pink wall color is also not suitable for giving an energetic or excessive impression. But I hope the audience won’t let that stop them. Here, all you have to do is go into immersion mode, and read and look through the exhibition’s massive amount of information. Because it really is an interesting chapter in Norwegian architectural history that is conveyed here. news reviewer Photo: Børre Høstland / The National Museum Title: “Drager og laft” Curator: Bente Aass Solbakken Institution: The National Museum of Art, Oslo Period: 2 February–21 April 2024 Estimated time: 30 to 60 minutes
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“Dragers and laft” at the National Museum – news Culture and entertainment
