Right: Tulip Chair, Eero Saarinen, 1957. These logos from the 1960s and 1970s are just a few examples of how, as in other fields, clean forms and well-considered elements dominated graphic design in Scandinavia. Today If you want to see original rosemaling for yourself in Norway, you should pay a visit to the Norwegian Museum of Cultural History in Oslo, which holds many buildings and objects decorated in this way. “Ølbolle” By Norsk Folkemuseum, 2014 Sámi art in Norway For a long time, art has been heavily influenced by the social and political landscape. Searching through history, we find that while the social views of a certain period may no longer be relevant, the art and design of that time often are. Designers today constantly draw inspiration from history, consciously and unconsciously. Being aware of that history and knowing what has come before in your field can help you better convey the meaning in your work and forge deeper connections to your environment (artistic, social, political, etc.). The Sámi Dáiddamagasiidna (the Sámi Art Collection) holds a large collection of duodji and Sámi-produced art. While this collection is closed to the public, it lends its pieces to both the Sámi Parliament building and Sámiid Vuorká-Dávvirat (the Sámi Museum in Karasjok), which are open for visitors. The Várjjat Sámi Musea (the Varanger Saami Museum) also has a large collection of duodji on display. Famous Norwegian artists Dating roughly from 1880 to 1910, Art Nouveau marked the beginning of Modernism and took nature as its inspiration. The use of decorative elements in domestic settings could even be viewed as metaphors for the status of the individual in society, and they made it evident that people were eager to break away from forms and set rules. More obvious social commentary was starting to emerge in art. Left: Cover art for the Norwegian woman’s magazine Urd, Andreas Bloch and Olaf Krohn, 1900–1905.

One of the more recent sculptures in Oslo is “ Roseslottet” (the Rose Castle), which opened in June 2020. It was built to mark the 75-year anniversary of Norway’s liberation from Nazi Germany and gets its name from The White Rose resistance group. The art installation consists of a circular wooden path, surrounded by paintings on either side, that spirals into the centre: from a bird’s-eye view, it looks like a rose. When each day brings new ways to redefine design, the long-established principles of Scandinavian design — usability and simplicity, while retaining an element of humanity and of grace and beauty — could be key to achieving a successful outcome. In The End One example of the way in which the folk art painter invented new artistic conventions is the way in which he treated the concept of reality. Instead of depicting what they actually saw they transferred what they saw into imaginary patterns beyond the naturalistic views. Instead of painting a surface to look like real marble they made a decorative pattern out of it. Swedi Scandinavian folk art is known for its distinctive and rich visual style. While there are variations across different regions and time periods, here are some common elements found in Scandinavian folk art:

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Jokkmokk in Swedish Lapland is a particularly good place for handicraft shops that sell traditional Sami arts and crafts. The Dalahäst is a carved wooden horse that comes in a variety of sizes and colours, though the original colour was red – it’s a very similar red to the one found on classic Swedish houses. That said, the majority of Viking art we have today was made from materials that have survived the passage of time, such as stone, metal, wood, bone, etc. Dala Horses: The Dala horse is a traditional wooden toy originating from Sweden. It has become an iconic symbol of Scandinavian folk art. These horses are typically painted in bright colors with intricate designs.

The styles and movements brewing in Europe at the beginning of the 20th century spread around the world. While they didn’t espouse the same message, they all contributed to the establishment of new forms and functions. You are free to wander around and discover the artwork for yourself, or you can join a free guided tour at 2pm on Sundays. Other guided tours at different times can also be arranged with the museum.Traditional Greenlandic clothing is decorated with bright patterns and designs, as well as abstract shapes and symbols. Shortly after 1880, William Morris and the Arts and Crafts Movement, inspired by the social theories of John Ruskin, began expressing their distaste for the Industrial Revolution’s machine-made designs. They denounced the uniform and monotonous products that the machine stood for, and they revitalized traditional methods of manufacturing; in the textile arts, for example. Defending and praising nature in art, human creativity and faithfulness to traditional materials, they upheld Romanticism and folk tradition in all manner of crafts. Left: A French advertisement for biscuits in the Art Nouveau style, Alfons Mucha, 1896.