Olaf Isaachsen

Olaf Wilhelm Isaachsen (May 16, 1835 – September 22, 1893) was a Norwegian landscape and genre painter.

Biography He was born in Mandal in Vest-Agder county Norway. Isaachsen belonged to a branch of an affluent and educated merchant family from Kjos in Kristiansand. He was the son of jurist Daniel Peter Christian Isaachsen, grandson of politician Isaach Isaachsen and great-grandson of Daniel Isaachsen (1744-1813), a Norwegian shipbuilder . He was the uncle of physicist Daniel Isaachsen, scientist Haakon Isaachsen (1867–1936), painter Herman Willoch and naval officer Odd Isaachsen Willoch.

He attended Nissens Latin School in Christiania (now Oslo). He later studied under Joachim Frich and Johannes Flintoe at the Royal School of Drawing from 1850, in Düsseldorf from 1854 to 1859, and in Paris under Thomas Couture (1859-1860) and Gustave Courbet (1861-1862). After a visit to Italy he returned home in 1864 with a view to becoming an artist with a strong focus on archeology and history. He ultimately settled in Kristiansand, although with frequent periods spent abroad.

His artistic style reflected naturalism and in later years impressionism. Isaachsen was regarded as one of Norway's more prominent artists and great colourist with motives of the coast landscape of Southern Norway. He also painted a wide range of portraits. Moreover, he found a full valid artistic expression in Setesdalen. His art often reflected the valley's distinctive culture. He is represented with 24 works in the National Museum in Oslo (NM), former National Gallery of Norway. The Regional Museum in Kristiansand, Sørlandets Kunstmuseum (SKMU) has 58 works.

Selected works

En sjørøver, 1858 Seks akter fra Paris, 1859 Landskap fra Apeninnene, 1863 Setesdalsstue, Kveste i Valle, 1866 Slagsmål i en bondestue, 1866 Studie av en såret mann, 1866 Liggende setesdøl, 1866 Ung setesdøl, 1866 Slagsbror, 1867 Et litterært funn, 1870–71 Bruden pyntes, 1878 Setesdalsloft, 1878 Stabbursinteriør fra Ose i Setesdal, 1878 Stuen i Holskogen, ca. 1880 Syrinbusk i morgensol, 1881 Tore Hund ved Olav den helliges lik, 1881 Venemyr i Søgne Sogn Høststemning, 1885 Efter badet, 1889 Kristiansand etter brannen, 1892 tre brannbilder fra Kristiansand, 1892