The old buildings of the Norsk Folkemuseum have always had a grip on my imagination. Here, where people have lived through the ages, where they’ve eaten, loved and slept, given birth and breathed their last, I feel their human presence still remains. Though their stories ended long ago, they left a tangible aura within these structures. Each place has its own distinct soul.
Maren Cathrine Lorentzen
I normally paint interiors, usually empty rooms, so a portrait is unusual for me. But this young girl is special. Her name is Maren Cathrine Lorentzen, and she is my direct ancestor on my father’s side. Maren Cathrine was born in 1751, almost 200 years before me, in Holmestrand, just south of Oslo. She grew up in this exact living room. The Norsk Folkemuseum has restored it, using the original windows, doors, walls and ceiling. Because of our family ties, I've taken the liberty of making her look a bit like me when I was her age. She is looking at me while I look at her, and she's embroidering. Embroidery was one of the skills girls from her social milieu learned how to do. She has completed her initials and is now making a red flower. She is 11, on the verge of puberty. Her dress is made of thick cotton and is typical of the era. Norsk Folkemuseum designed and had it made for the portrait. To offset its lively pattern, I painted a background of quiet green-gray tones over a rust-colored base. The composition is intentionally simple, and Maren Cathrine has an air of proud calmness. Since horseback riding was part of a young lady´s posture training in those days, she sits upright and rather stiffly. I imagine her as a strong-willed woman! The national registry lists her as having lived until she was 79 years old, which is extraordinary for the time.
History Room
The 300-year period of history between 1600 and 1900 is well-documented. It was a span of time that encompassed enormous changes, both for individuals and society as a whole. As I worked on this painting for a permanent exhibition, my mind was filled with new thoughts and questions. Is it possible to portray history as a room? What needs to be included and what can be left out? As I painted, I was simultaneously in the past and present.
The room we see here is old, but the light that fills it is new and fresh. Light never ages! Our eye is directed out and through the open doors and into a darkness that symbolizes the past. Myriad unknown stories and events-to-be shed light on the exhibition rooms upstairs. This actual room is from the 18th century and is decorated in Louis Seize style. It was part of a home in Oslo that no longer exists; consequently, I painted the window to appear more like one in an exhibition rather than reality.
Window to the Future
In 1914, World War I broke out. Norway did not participate, yet its status as a neutral state wasn’t easy to maintain. Balancing demands from warring nations on both sides held numerous difficult challenges. As a shipping nation, we suffered huge loss of human life and material with each merchant ship that was sunk. There was a shortage of food, and Norwegians starved and suffered, wondering when the war would end and worrying about what came next. Would there be peace in Europe? What would the future bring? In this painting I have tried to imagine how it felt to be Norwegian during WWI. Here, we are looking out a window across the fjord toward land and further right in the direction of the south. Although the sea seems calm and the sky is a serene pale blue, the land is dark. All our hope lies in the water. As the fjord and the sea bind us together, we connect with Europe and the rest of the world. The sea is our passageway to an unknown fate, our "Window to the Future".