Thorvald Erichsen

Thorvald Erichsen (18 July 1868 - 23 December 1939) was a Norwegian Post-Impressionist painter; known primarily for landscapes and still-lifes.

Biography Thorvald Erichsen was born at Trondheim, Norway. He was the son of Ernst Erichsen (1820-1869), a confectioner, and Trine Jensine née Rian (1829-1884). His father died while Erichsen was still very young.

Although he originally wanted to be pianist, he began as a law student in 1886, then interrupted his studies to attend the painting school operated by Knud Bergslien, where he took the arts and crafts course. Later, he moved to Copenhagen, where he became a student of Kristian Zahrtmann, who had a more profound influence on his artistic development.

He also travelled to Italy and Paris, where he met with artist Pierre Bonnard and absorbed the influences of late Impressionism. His début came in 1891 with the painting "Spring Mood". He would continue to travel extensively throughout his life and never settled in one place.

In 1907, his elder brother Ole Erichsen (1863-1949) a member of the Storting, obtained a major commission for him, but it was never completed.

Although he lived in isolation, his paintings were popular and were sold throughout Europe. He was awarded a Gold medal at 1929 Barcelona International Exposition. In 1930, he was awarded an annual stipend for artists (Statens Kunstnerlønn). He died at Oslo of leukemia in 1939.

Selected paintings