Understanding the Beauty of Adelsteen Normann’s Summer in Fjord Painting

Today’s source of inspiration is an exquisite landscape artwork by Adelsteen Normann entitled Summer in Fjord.

Let’s explore some noteworthy details:

• The painting adheres to many traditional principles of landscape art. If I were to conjure an image of a landscape featuring mountains and a lake, something reminiscent of this work would emerge. This can be seen as advantageous or disadvantageous, as these rules exist to ensure visual appeal. However, this may also result in a sense of being clichéd. Normann distinguishes his work through exceptional execution.
• He adopts a softer and more minimalistic style for the sky, contrasting with the land, which has a more textured and robust quality.
• The sky beautifully balances positive and negative space (between clouds and the blue sky), appearing both natural and structured, akin to a well-composed classical music piece.
• The mountains recede into cooler tones, illustrating atmospheric perspective.
• Normann subtly connects the sky and land through overlapping clouds on the mountain tops, creating a unified feeling within the painting; both elements stand distinct yet unified.

• The shoreline expertly guides our gaze into and across the painting, achieved through varied strokes, colors, and textures.
• The water’s surface reflects its surroundings, showcasing Normann’s use of flatter, more horizontal brushwork and slightly darker tones to differentiate it from the mountains and sky.
• Behind the lake, Normann employs pale blues to suggest the wind’s gentle effect on the water.

• There’s notable detail and activity centered around the boats and structures, the area where the shoreline leads the viewer’s eye. If I were to designate a focal point, this would be it, though it feels somewhat overshadowed by the grandeur of the mountains behind.

• On the left, vibrant splashes of orange contrast against cooler, more subdued hues, creating visual interest.
• The small birds gliding above the water add a delightful detail. Their size juxtaposes nicely with the majestic mountains in the background, and they match the dimensions of the boats further back, illustrating linear perspective perfectly (where objects appear smaller the further away they are). This notion might be familiar to us all, yet it’s vital to consciously consider it.

I invite you to share your thoughts about this painting in the comments below. If you’re eager to learn more about landscape painting, don’t miss our Landscape Painting Masterclass.

Wishing you joyful painting experiences!

Dan Scott