Ancient Scandinavian Folk Art

In scandinavian folklore there are numerous races of beings the best known of which apart from human beings are the gods and the jötnar their nemesis.

Ancient scandinavian folk art. In rather simplistic terms these may be said to represent the forces of good and evil. Viking art also known commonly as norse art is a term widely accepted for the art of scandinavian norsemen and viking settlements further afield particularly in the british isles and iceland during the viking age of the 8th 11th centuries ce. In special instances there was deliberate imitation of well known works of art as in the american.

Fine expressive facial and lovely hand painted details. In the 1890 s something changed in the way common scandinavians saw themselves and their culture. Scandinavian folk art nutcracker with man in cap decoration circa 1920 1930s.

Between these two groups of beings are a range of creatures that come in all shapes and sizes. Art made by scandinavians during the viking age c. See more ideas about scandinavian art scandinavian folk art art.

The scandinavian folklore consists of a huge variety of creatures good or evil which have frightened people for centuries. Runes from a scandinavian root meaning to inscribe were already ancient in the viking period and probably are modified roman letters. Rosemåling rosemaling rosmålning or kurbits are the names of a traditional form of decorative folk art that originated in scandinavia.

Rather it was the natural result either of continued use of established patterns or of instinctive methods of organization. Viking art has many design elements in common with celtic germanic the later romanesque and eastern european art sharing many influences with. They were often meant to scare children but even today they are essential and important to the modern northern society.

Although folk artists had their own criteria of function and craftsmanship design in the theoretical sense was not a part of their training. Leif sodergren swedish folk art recent paintings i paint in an old style kurbits painting also known as dalmålning or dala painting a distinctive form of swedish folk art painting circa 1750 1850 with imaginative fantasy plants and the paintings frequently depict religious motifs in local settings. The eddas dramatic lays prose and verse of the norwegian aristocracy especially in iceland dealing with gods and heroes many in the german tradition e g sigurd and the nibelungs are the highest.