The Art of Hans Dahl

Alpine Landscape

by Hans Dahl

Returning From the Fields

by Hans Dahl

The Fjord

by Hans Dahl

Hans Dahl 1849-1937

Norway

The paintings of this man are amazing. I enjoy looking at the misty mountains in the backgrounds, and the delicate wildflowers in the foreground.  From his photograph he appears to be a dignified, stately, masculine sort of man, and his paintings of women show them in just the opposite light: feminine and soft. He captured an air of innocent happiness in their faces, kissed by the cooler northern temperatures into a sweet rosy glow.

The clothings is also interesting. From the hand-embroidered vests to the bright skirts and the billowing blouses. I look at paintings like this for sewing inspiration, too.  One reason for this is that these women are depicted doing rigorous outdoor work in that clothing, and so, it must not have hindered them in their daily lives, as moderns are inclined to believe. Indeed, some of the current styles hardly allow normal household movement, compared to the garments in the old paintings. There are patterns available today for making clothes like this, from major pattern catalogs and from Neue Mode, a German pattern company.

After a century, these paintings are still vivid and looking like new, as if the girls just came in from a brisk walk in the fresh summer air.