KunstenaarNorwegian
Harald Kihle
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Harald Kihle painted a Telemark that was already disappearing: a world of horse-drawn sledges, farm meals taken in common, and mountain pastures ungrazed by anything more modern than sheep. Born on 3 July 1905, he was fascinated by the nature and folk culture of this region in southern Norway, its arts, crafts, songs, music, and the farmers' traditional way of life. The horse became a recurring motif, and in his paintings he deliberately preserved the landscape as it existed before tractors and power lines arrived.
Kihle's artistic vision was informed by Norwegian legends, particularly the stories of "Storegut" and "Guro Heddelid." He painted "Storegutdrapet" (The Killing of Storegut) in 1943-1944, and illustrated a 1951 edition of Aasmund Olavsson Vinje's poem cycle "Storegut." His style blended naturalism with a lyrical warmth that avoided sentimentality; the farm scenes feel observed rather than idealised, even as they clearly express affection for a vanishing culture.
Several of his works are held in the National Gallery of Norway, including "En jordferd" (A Funeral, 1936), "Anne" (1939), "Fra Telemark" (1953), and "Guro rid til ottesong" (1957-1960). The Vinje Biletgalleri at Smoerklepp in Telemark contains a significant collection of his work. He died on 2 August 1997.
At auction, Kihle's paintings appear almost exclusively through Grev Wedels Plass Auksjoner, which handles 158 of his 162 items on Auctionist. Top prices reach 110,000 NOK for "Dugurd" (a meal scene), with sheep-shearing and farm life subjects trading at 54,000 to 60,000 NOK.