Background
Thaulow was born in Oslo, Norway, on October 20, 1847. He was the son of Harald Conrad Thaulow, a wealthy chemist, and Nicoline ("Nina") Louise Munch.
Reinhold-Frank-Straße 67, 76133 Karlsruhe, Germany
From 1873 till 1875 Fritz Thaulow studied under the guidance of Hans Gude, one of Norway’s premier landscape artists, at the Baden School of Art (later known as the Academy of Fine Arts, Karlsruhe) in Karlsruhe.
Frits Thaulow at a carnival.
Frits Thaulow at work.
Portrait of Frits Thaulow, ca. 1900.
Portrait of Fritz Thaulow by John White Alexander.
Portrait of Fritz Thaulow, cyanotype.
Reinhold-Frank-Straße 67, 76133 Karlsruhe, Germany
From 1873 till 1875 Fritz Thaulow studied under the guidance of Hans Gude, one of Norway’s premier landscape artists, at the Baden School of Art (later known as the Academy of Fine Arts, Karlsruhe) in Karlsruhe.
Frits Thaulow at a carnival.
Frits Thaulow at work.
Frits Thaulow, painted by Christian Krohg.
Portrait of Frits Thaulow, ca. 1900.
Portrait of Fritz Thaulow by John White Alexander.
Portrait of Fritz Thaulow, cyanotype.
Thaulow was born in Oslo, Norway, on October 20, 1847. He was the son of Harald Conrad Thaulow, a wealthy chemist, and Nicoline ("Nina") Louise Munch.
Frits Thaulow's money gave him the chance to work with some of the leading artists of his time. Thaulow studied art in both Denmark and Germany and worked with several tutors and painters to perfect his art. At first, Thaulow studied maritime art and planned to work in this field, but he later became interested in landscape art.
He was educated at the Academy of Art in Copenhagen between 1870 and 1872, and from 1873 till 1875 he studied under the guidance of Hans Gude, one of Norway’s premier landscape artists, at the Baden School of Art (later known as the Academy of Fine Arts, Karlsruhe) in Karlsruhe.
Thaulow lived in Paris for a four-year stint beginning in 1875. He arrived in Denmark in 1879 with his friend Christian Krohg who convinced him to spend the summer and autumn there. Fritz Thaulow, who had specialized in marine painting, turned to Skagen's favourite subjects, the fishermen and the boats on the shore. He became one of the earliest artists to paint in Skagen in the north of Jutland.
After his stay in Skagen, Thaulow returned to his native Norway in 1880. He became one of the leading young painters in the Norwegian art scene, along with Christian Krohg and Erik Werenskiold. The artist helped established the first National Art Exhibit, also known as Høstutstillingen or Autumn Exhibit, in 1882. Many of Thaulow's best known Norwegian scenes were from Åsgårdstrand, which had become an important centre for artists and painters dating from the 1880s.
During the period of 1880-1892, the Realist art form became accepted in Norway, marking a pivotal time period for Norwegian art. This allowed Thaulow to combine his deeply personal impressions of Norway’s scenery to create a new form of the Impressionist landscape. His interpretations of the public gardens and surroundings of Oslo were widely praised. One of his favourite subjects was that of skiers on Oslo’s winter slopes. In the 1890s, he created his works utilizing oils and pastels.
Thaulow moved to France in 1892, living there until his death in 1906. Soon after his arrival, he discovered that the cityscapes of Paris did not suit him. His best paintings were made in small towns such as Montreuil-sur-Mer, Dieppe and surrounding villages, Quimperle in Brittany and Beaulieu-sur-Dordogne in the Corrèze département. He produced approximately 50 paintings per year while residing during his stay in France. Many of these artworks were displayed at Galeries Georges Petit and Cie in Paris.
Fritz Thaulow became one of the most outstanding painters of the 19th and early 20th centuries. By combining elements of Realism and Impressionism in his landscapes, the artist created his own movement, and he was responsible for introducing the Impressionist style to Norway.
Thaulow received a number of honours for his artistic activity, including his appointment as commander of the 2nd Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav in 1905. He was awarded the French Legion of Honour, Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus from Italy and the Order of Nichan Iftikhar from Tunisia.
Frits Thaulow's works have been offered at auction multiple times, with realized prices ranging from $174 USD to $203,756 USD. The current record price for the painter at auction is $203,756 USD for "Vinter I Norge (Winter in Norway)", sold at Sotheby's London in 2005.
Today, his artworks can be easily found in different parts of the world in both private and public collections. The largest collection of his works is held at the National Gallery of Norway; it features 37 of his art pieces. Other prominent displays include The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, The Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, and the Busch-Reisinger Museum at Harvard University.
A River in the Winter
French River Landscape with a Stone Bridge
A Snowy Harbor View
Autumn
The Pier, Dordrecht
Seine
Cottages by a River
Woodland Scene with a River
Old factory on the Somme (Evening)
Winter in Paris
Washerwomen at Quimperle
Cottage by a Canal in the Snow
Midnight Mass
Winter on the Isle of Stord
Marketplace in France, after a Rainstorm
Riverside, View of Abbeville
A Village Street in France
The Dordogne
A French River Landscape
An Orchard on the Banks of a River
River Landscape
At Quimperle
A Morning River Scene
Mill Scene
Alkejegeren
After the Rain
Beaulieu
Landscape and River
On the Grand Canal, Venice
The Mill Pond
On a French River
Golden Autumn, Brittany
Winter at Simoa River
The Battle of Arques, Normandy
Channel with Watermill
House by yhe Water's Edge
Marble Steps
Rialto
Evening at the Bay of Frogner
In the Elbank, Hamburg
A Stone Bridge Over a Stream in Winter
Cottage by a Stream
The Priest
A Factory Building near an Icy River in Winter
Winter
The Old Church by the River
The Mill
Flooding by the Seine
From Dieppe to Arques River
Skiers
Fritz Thaulow was married twice. In 1874 he married his first wife, Ingeborg Charlotte Gad. The couple divorced in 1886. The same year Thaulow married Alexandra Lasson, the daughter of Carl Lasson, a noted Norwegian barrister. Thaulow had three children with his second wife: Harald Thaulow, Ingrid Thaulow and Christian Lasson Thaulow.
Harald Thaulow (1887-1971) was a Norwegian author.
Christian Krohg (1852-1925) was a Norwegian naturalist painter, illustrator, educator, author as well as journalist. Krohg was inspired by the Realist art movement and often depicted motives of everyday life.
Auguste Rodin (1840-1917) was a famous French sculptor of marble and bronze figures. His most notable art pieces include The Thinker, The Kiss, The Burghers of Calais and monumental figures of Honore de Balzac and Victor Hugo.
Claude Monet (1840-1926) was a founder of French Impressionist painting. He was the most persistent and fruitful practitioner of the movement's philosophy of expressing one's perceptions before nature.
