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Just five years old, poor little Thomas Fearnley was sent to Christiania (modern-day Oslo) to live with his aunt and uncle. This early turn in his life, however, proved to be a stroke of luck. For it so happened that he was accepted at the Norwegian Military Academy. And this was one of the few places in Norway at the time where one could learn to draw professionally. Unfortunately, Thomas had difficulties with discipline and broke off his military education at 17. But he remained faithful to drawing and attended evening classes at the then newly opened Tegneskolen (drawing school). He was a gifted student. And so two of Fearnley's paintings were shown in the drawing school's first public exhibition. The young artist's drawings hung on equal footing with prominent names in Norwegian art history, such as J. C. Dahl and Johannes Flintoe. The exhibition, at which Thomas was thus in the thick of things, caused a sensation. For the first time, residents of the capital were able to see their homeland through the eyes of an artist and rediscover Norway's magnificent natural beauty.
As innovative as the drawing school was, artistic opportunities for young aspiring artists were very limited in Norway. So Thomas decided to continue his studies in Copenhagen and Dresden, England, Holland and Stockholm. The decision to go to Sweden proved to be another fortunate coincidence in his life. For the Swedish royal family commissioned several paintings from him. Despite his success, however, he did not last long in Stockholm. Soon after, Fearnley set off for Italy. He covered the distance from Munich over the Alps to Verona on foot. It was a cold and wet trip. One of his companions and friends, the Danish painter William Bendz, caught pneumonia on the way and died shortly after arriving in bella Italia.
Thomas himself stayed in Italy for two years, perfecting his technique of light incidence and shadow casting. When he finally set out on his return journey, he chose the route over the Bernese Alps and found there that motif which was to become one of his main motifs: the Upper Grindelwald Glacier, which at that time still reached down to the village and was easily accessible to tourists. Today, due to climate change, only a remnant of the once massive glacier remains. But Fearley's paintings have memorialized it. His contemporaries often spoke of him reverently as "The European," for he was a well-traveled man. His friends appreciated him for "always being willing to share a good bottle of wine." And posterity? Although Thomas Fearnley died of thyphoid fever at the age of just 39, he still left a great mark on the art world and history. His grave is in Oslo, in the grove of honor at Vår Frelsers Cemetery.
Just five years old, poor little Thomas Fearnley was sent to Christiania (modern-day Oslo) to live with his aunt and uncle. This early turn in his life, however, proved to be a stroke of luck. For it so happened that he was accepted at the Norwegian Military Academy. And this was one of the few places in Norway at the time where one could learn to draw professionally. Unfortunately, Thomas had difficulties with discipline and broke off his military education at 17. But he remained faithful to drawing and attended evening classes at the then newly opened Tegneskolen (drawing school). He was a gifted student. And so two of Fearnley's paintings were shown in the drawing school's first public exhibition. The young artist's drawings hung on equal footing with prominent names in Norwegian art history, such as J. C. Dahl and Johannes Flintoe. The exhibition, at which Thomas was thus in the thick of things, caused a sensation. For the first time, residents of the capital were able to see their homeland through the eyes of an artist and rediscover Norway's magnificent natural beauty.
As innovative as the drawing school was, artistic opportunities for young aspiring artists were very limited in Norway. So Thomas decided to continue his studies in Copenhagen and Dresden, England, Holland and Stockholm. The decision to go to Sweden proved to be another fortunate coincidence in his life. For the Swedish royal family commissioned several paintings from him. Despite his success, however, he did not last long in Stockholm. Soon after, Fearnley set off for Italy. He covered the distance from Munich over the Alps to Verona on foot. It was a cold and wet trip. One of his companions and friends, the Danish painter William Bendz, caught pneumonia on the way and died shortly after arriving in bella Italia.
Thomas himself stayed in Italy for two years, perfecting his technique of light incidence and shadow casting. When he finally set out on his return journey, he chose the route over the Bernese Alps and found there that motif which was to become one of his main motifs: the Upper Grindelwald Glacier, which at that time still reached down to the village and was easily accessible to tourists. Today, due to climate change, only a remnant of the once massive glacier remains. But Fearley's paintings have memorialized it. His contemporaries often spoke of him reverently as "The European," for he was a well-traveled man. His friends appreciated him for "always being willing to share a good bottle of wine." And posterity? Although Thomas Fearnley died of thyphoid fever at the age of just 39, he still left a great mark on the art world and history. His grave is in Oslo, in the grove of honor at Vår Frelsers Cemetery.