Olaf Isaachsen

Olaf Wilhelm Isaachsen (May 16, 1835 – September 22, 1893) was a Norwegian painter. Olaf Isaachsen is regarded as one of Norway’s more prominent artists and great colourist with motives from Setesdalen and the coast landscape of Southern Norway.[1]

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 Isaachsen, son of politician Isaach Isaachsen and grandson of Daniel Isaachsen (1744-1813), a Norwegian shipbuilder . He was the uncle of physicist Daniel Isaachsen, scientist Haakon Isaachsen (1867–1936), painter Herman Willoch and naval officer Odd Isaachsen Willoch.[2][3][4]

Olaf Isaachsen 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 (1859-1860) and Gustave Courbet (1861-1862). He ultimately settled in Kristiansand, although with frequent periods spent abroad.

He is represented with 24 works in the National Museum in Oslo (NM), former National Gallery of Norway.[2] The Regional Museum in Kristiansand, Sørlandets Kunstmuseum (SKMU) 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 (Toni) John Prehr (1838-1870). The couple had four children – William (1865-1942), Eivind (1866-1926); Johanna Marie (1867-1872) and Harald (1869-1942). 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.[3]

Selected works

En sjørøver, 1858
Seks akter fra Paris, 1859
Landskap fra Apeninnene, 1863
Setesdalsstue, Kveste i Valle, 1866
Slagsmål i en bondestue, 1866
Studie av en såret mann, 1866
Liggende setesdøl, 1866
Ung 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

References

Isaachsen, Olaf (artnet.com)
"Isaachsen, Olaf (Wilhelm)". Aschehoug og Gyldendals Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Kunnskapsforlaget. 2007.
"Willoch/Isaachsen". Aschehoug og Gyldendals Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Kunnskapsforlaget. 2007.
Willoch/Isaachsen (Store norske leksikon)