Frits Thaulow

1847-1906

European Artist

Frits Thaulow, a very important Norwegian painter and engraver, grew up in Oslo. He studied at the Academy of Copenhagen and later studied in Paris. Several of his paintings were displayed in the Paris Salon with a moderate success. On his return to Oslo he started painting the city life and landscapes of Norway and was an expert at capturing the qualities of slow-moving rivers. Thaulow perfected his talent while staying beside the Simoa River at Modum in 1883. The artist was acclaimed as Oslo's foremost painter, known mostly for his scenes of historic Oslo and the surrounding countryside. The painter traveled extensively to Paris and Venice, Scotland and Hamburg to to ensure variety in his subject matter. During his trips the artist became close with many famous Impressionist painters. Frits Thaulow admired in particular the art of Jules Bastien-Lepage and his Swedish contemporary Carl Skånberg. He was a good friend of Claude Monet and encouraged the great French artist to travel with him to Norway to paint snow scenes in 1895. He was the brother-in-law of Paul Gauguin (by other sources - the godfather of Gauguin's son). Thaulow was active in Oslo's art world in the 1880s. He arranged the Autumn Exhibition in 1882, and chaired the Artist's Club in 1883. He helped to found the progressive Artist's Union in 1885, and served as its president in 1887 and 1888. Thaulow advised and helped his young cousin Edvard Munch. In the late 1890s Thaulow became a permanent resident of France. The painter was recruited by Andrew Carnegie to serve on the jury of one of the international exhibitions of the Carnegie Institute In 1898, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. On his trip to America, Thaulow visited New York, Washington, D.C., and Boston, and painted a number of works of American scenery.