Synnøve Anker Aurdal
Synnøve Anker Aurdal (1908 to 2000) was a Norwegian textile artist, born in Kristiania and raised in Lillehammer. She helped establish tapestry as a central medium in modern Norwegian art. Her practice includes appliqué, woven surfaces and works extending into space.
She learned tapestry weaving from sisters Karen and Ragnhild Prestgard and studied at Statens Kvindelige Industriskole in Oslo from 1932 to 1934. Traditional knowledge became a foundation for later experiments.
Her postwar appliqué works brought her breakthrough in 1946. Fabric remnants, stitching and yarn were assembled into tightly composed images. This construction differs from a continuous woven tapestry, although both methods belong to her practice.
Kronbruden of 1946 is catalogued by the National Museum as woven wool fabric with appliqué, measuring 185.5 × 154 cm. The technical distinction matters: an element sewn onto the surface is different from a motif woven into the fabric itself.
For Vår of 1957 in the Astrup Fearnley Collection, the materials listed are wool, cellulose yarn and bast fibre thread. It measures 109 × 217 cm. The record shows that even before the large metal-containing works, a material description could be more complex than simply “wool tapestry”.
In the 1960s and 1970s she used synthetic materials, metal and chemical dyes. Increasingly free forms challenged the rectangular tapestry. Surface and spatial effects became active parts of the image, with a nonfigurative language still capable of conveying poetic and contemporary statements.
Sølvklode of 1970 has a linen warp, weft of wool, nylon and metal thread, and nickel and copper chains. The National Museum’s example measures 255 × 210 cm. This is a specific combination, not a standard formula for all her tapestries containing metal.
Rød måne of 1968 combines wool and linen with red-lacquered copper wire. Islands klokke of 1976 includes copper, rope, wool and iron nails. In 1982 she represented Norway with a solo exhibition in the Nordic Pavilion at the Venice Biennale. The works span pictorial surface and textile sculpture.
Poetry remained a source of subject matter and atmosphere. She also used words and humour to comment on her own time. A tapestry should therefore be read both as material work and as a composition of form, language and meaning.
Not every tapestry should be described as woven by the artist herself. For Drøm om det blå of 1991, the National Museum lists Ateliers de tapisserie d’Aubusson, Manufacture Robert Four as manufacturer. It has cotton warp and weft of wool and artificial silk. Artist and executing workshop are different roles.
A workshop name, signature or dated sketch must be connected to the particular textile. Information on designs, execution, possible later editions and previous owners should be kept distinct. A biography does not establish an edition size, and similarity to a museum work does not authenticate another example.
Mixed materials also matter for condition assessment. Record loose chains or threads, discoloration, deformation, repairs and traces of earlier mounting. The reverse and attachments may provide important documentation. Conservation treatment should be clarified before cleaning or changing the hanging arrangement.
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