Bjarne Engebret
Bjarne Engebret (1905 to 1985), also recorded as Bjarne Robert Engebret, was a Norwegian painter born in Kristiania. He worked with figurative subjects, nonfigurative compositions and decorative commissions.
From Revold to Expressionism
Engebret trained with Torstein Torsteinson, then Axel Revold at Statens Kunstakademi. German art at Kunstnernes Hus in 1932 became important: Kirchner and Schmidt-Rottluff inspired simplification, angular lines and strong colours.
Three works with different materials
The National Museum's Slåttekarer (1934) is oil on canvas, 113 × 121 cm, purchased in 1984. Its creation and acquisition dates are separate facts. The museum's identification applies to this particular painting and cannot be transferred to another object showing the same subject.
Kvinner på stranden (1934) at the National Museum is catalogued as oil and tempera on canvas, 91 × 92 cm, purchased in 2013. The inclusion of tempera shows why materials need examination for each work, instead of describing his entire output as oil painting.
Komposisjon i fresco nr. 6 (1935) is recorded as oil on cement on fibreboard, 112 × 80 cm. Its title alone is therefore not a complete technical description. This object's recorded construction must be distinguished from a general idea of mural painting on wet plaster.
Nonfigurative experiments and later subjects
In 1935, Engebret explored nonfigurative pictures combining organic forms and more disciplined colour planes. Norsk kunstnerleksikon describes influence from Léger and formal similarities with Miró. Critics called the works Surrealist, but the artist distanced himself from this interpretation. Describing their forms and material experiments is therefore more precise than applying one label to his entire output.
More naturalistic landscapes and figure pictures followed. Around 1945, he divided the surface into faceted patterns, including subjects of mother and child and trees.
Exhibitions and teaching
Kunstnernes Hus records a retrospective from 14 April to 6 May 1956. SNL also documents his private painting school and decorative works. His practice thus encompassed his own pictures, teaching and decorative commissions. Historical information about the school must be understood in relation to the artist's lifetime.
Object identification, condition and provenance
An original painting, a possible print and a printed reproduction must be examined as different types of object. Check whether the surface actually consists of paint or a printed halftone pattern, and record support, dimensions and inscriptions. A museum subject may also appear in books and posters. Similarity of subject does not document that an object is an original work.
For canvas, relevant factors include cracks, loose paint, retouching and any lining. Panels and cement-containing layers may have other damage, such as warping or flaking. Assess signatures and labels alongside receipts, older photographs and exhibition history. This biography establishes neither a specific signature form, a general edition size nor the authenticity of a particular item.
Read more about modernism, artist signatures, provenance and ownership history, Axel Revold.
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