Olaf Isaachsen


Olaf Wilhelm Isaachsen was a Norwegian landscape and genre painter.

Biography

He was born in Mandal in Vest-Agder county Norway. Isaachsen belonged to a branch of an affluent and educated merchant family from Kjos in Kristiansand. He was the son of jurist Daniel Peter Christian Isaachsen, grandson of politician Isaach Isaachsen and great-grandson of Daniel Isaachsen, a Norwegian shipbuilder. He was the uncle of physicist Daniel Isaachsen, scientist Haakon Isaachsen, painter Herman Willoch and naval officer Odd Isaachsen Willoch.
He attended Nissens Latin School in Christiania. He later studied under Joachim Frich and Johannes Flintoe at the Royal School of Drawing from 1850, in Düsseldorf from 1854 to 1859, and in Paris under Thomas Couture and Gustave Courbet. After a visit to Italy he returned home in 1864 with a view to becoming an artist with a strong focus on archeology and history. He ultimately settled in Kristiansand, although with frequent periods spent abroad.
His artistic style reflected naturalism and in later years impressionism. Isaachsen was regarded as one of Norway's more prominent artists and great colourist with motives of the coast landscape of Southern Norway. He also painted a wide range of portraits. Moreover, he found a full valid artistic expression in Setesdalen. His art often reflected the valley's distinctive culture. He is represented with 24 works in the National Museum in Oslo, former National Gallery of Norway.
The Regional Museum in Kristiansand, Sørlandets Kunstmuseum has 58 works.

Personal life

Isaachsen was a knowledgeable and courteous man, a mixture of observation and locals, who spoke fluent German, Dutch, English, French and Italian. He was married in 1864 to Antonie John Prehr. The couple had four children – William, Eivind ; Johanna Marie and Harald. His wife died of tuberculosis when only 32 years old. Two years later his four-year-old daughter Johanna Marie died of diphtheria, and he was left with three small boys. He was the paternal grandfather of Sigurd Daniel Isaachsen Willoch, an art historian and director of the National Gallery of Norway.

Selected works

En sjørøver, 1858 Seks akter fra Paris, 1859Landskap fra Apeninnene, 1863 Setesdalsstue, Kveste i Valle, 1866 Slagsmål i en bondestue, 1866 Studie av en såret mann, 1866Liggende setesdøl, 1866Ung setesdøl, 1866 Slagsbror, 1867 Et litterært funn, 1870–71 Bruden pyntes, 1878 Setesdalsloft, 1878 Stabbursinteriør fra Ose i Setesdal, 1878 Stuen i Holskogen, ca. 1880 Syrinbusk i morgensol, 1881 Tore Hund ved Olav den helliges lik, 1881 Venemyr i Søgne Sogn Høststemning, 1885 Efter badet, 1889 Kristiansand etter brannen, 1892 tre brannbilder fra Kristiansand, 1892