Knud Bergslien

Knud Bergslien (1827–1908) was a Norwegian painter, art teacher and master artist who portrayed the lives of ordinary Norwegians, rural landscapes and the nation's past. He is best remembered for his historical scenes and for shaping a generation of painters.

He trained in Antwerp from 1844 to 1852, spent a period in Paris, and worked in Düsseldorf from 1855 to 1869, where he was closely linked with Hans Fredrik Gude and Adolph Tidemand. Sources also name Charles Gleyre among his teachers.

His most famous work, Skiing Birchlegs Crossing the Mountain with the Royal Child, shows the skiers who carried the young Prince Haakon to safety and has become a Norwegian national icon. He also painted the 1875 coronation of Oscar II. In Christiania (now Oslo) he later ran the Eckersberg painting school together with Morten Müller, training Edvard Munch, Harriet Backer and Halfdan Egedius, among others. His works are held by the National Gallery of Norway, and a monument in Voss honours the three Bergslien artists.