Aasta Hansteen
Aasta Hansteen,also known asHasta Hanseen(born December 10, 1824 – April 13, 1908), was aNorwegianpainter,writer,and earlyfeminist.[1][2]
Life and career
[edit]Aasta Hansteen was born inChristiania,modern day Oslo, the daughter ofChristopher Hansteen,a noted professor ofastronomy,geophysicsand applied mathematics at theUniversity of Oslo.She started her art education inCopenhagen(1840 - 1841) where she learned to draw. She continued her training for three years at theKunstakademie Düsseldorfwhere she studied fine brush alignment. She is associated with theDüsseldorf school of painting.She exhibited her work at the 1855World's Fair in Paris.[3]
She returned to Norway and settled in Christiania where she, for several years, was in demand as the city's only portrait artist. Her most famous painting is possibly the portrait of her father, which is on permanent exhibit at theNational Gallery of Norway.[4]
painted by Aasta Hansteen (1853)
Overwhelmed by the interest in her portraits, she resigned from her craft for several years and moved toTelemark,where she developed an interest inNorwegian dialects.When she moved back to Christiania, she studied with the linguistIvar Aasen.In 1862 she published anonymously a small book written inNynorskand had the distinction of being the first woman to publish in this language.[5]
Together with her foster daughter Theodora Nielsen, she sailed from Christiania on April 9, 1880. She lived in theUnited Statesfor nine years (1880-1889). She spent six and a half years in theBostonarea and two and a half years in the Midwest, primarilyChicago.Aasta Hansteen met or observed such leading reformers on the time asLucy Stone,Julia Ward Howe,Mary Livermore,andWendell Phillips.Her initial income came from writing for the Christiania-based newspaperVerdens Gang,which she supplemented by painting portraits on commission. Among others, Norwegian reformer and editorMarcus Thranesat for his portrait. In 1889, she returned to Norway with a renewed interest in the women's movement. She joined theNorwegian Association for Women's Rights(Norsk Kvinnesaksforening) and became an active contributor in the press on women's rights.[6][7]
Hansteen died in Kristiania, modern-day Oslo.
Hansteen was a vocal critic of theJudeo-ChristianandPaulineperception of women, which she felt was denigrating of women's spiritual worth. She was a strong and controversial personality, who frequented cafes and markets on her own, and became one of the more colorful fixtures in Oslo.[8]
Legacy
[edit]Henrik Ibsenis said to have used her as a model for the characterLona Hesselin his playThe Pillars of Society.Additionally she was believed to have served as the inspiration for the title role inGunnar Heiberg'sAunt Ulrikke.Norwegian pianist and composerAgathe Backer Grøndahldedicated compositions to her. Her grave inVår Frelsers gravlundin Oslo, marked with a bust made byGustav Vigeland.Aasta Hansteens vei in theStovnerborough of the city of Oslo and Aasta Hansteens vei inTrondheimare both named for Aasta Hansteen. A statue of her by Norwegian sculptor,Nina Sundbye,in located in theAker Bryggearea of Oslo.[9][10]
The Aasta Hansteen gas field came on stream 16 December 2018. The Aasta Hansteen field is located in 1 300 metres of water in the Vøring area in the Norwegian Sea, 300 kilometres west of Sandnessjøen. Its floating platform is higher than the Eiffel tower.[11]
Selected works
[edit]- Skrift og Umskrift i Landsmaalet,1862
- Kvindens stilling i Verden, i Nordisk Maanedsskrift for folkelig og kristelig Oplysning,1871
- Kvinden skabt i Guds Billede,1878
- Kristi kirke i det nittende aarhundrede,1897
- Dikt i (Ivar Aasens) landsmaal. 1862–67,1908
References
[edit]
- ^Commemoratives of Famous Women(Notable Women International)
- ^Aasta Hansteen(Lill-Ann Jensen, Store norske leksikon)
- ^Portrait of Aasta Hansteen(The Promise of America)
- ^Aasta Hansteen. 1824 - 1908(Art Experts, Inc.)
- ^Aasta Hansteen(Kristin Natvig Aas, Store norske leksikon)
- ^"The Best Place on Earth for Women: The American Experience of Aasta Hansteen(Janet E. Rasmussen. Norwegian-American Historical Association. Volume 31: Page 245) ".Archived fromthe originalon 2017-10-05.Retrieved2009-08-14.
- ^Hvorfor er vårt symbol en solsikke?(Norsk Kvinnesaksforening)
- ^Kavanaugh, Desiree."Dolls House Educational Packet".SUNY Oswego.Archived fromthe originalon 12 August 2009.
- ^"Agathe Backer Grøndahl (1847-1907): "A perfectly plain woman?(Camilla Hambro. The Kapralova Society Journal. 2009) "(PDF).Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 2019-08-01.Retrieved2009-08-14.
- ^Nina Sundbye(Store norske leksikon)
- ^[1]
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
- 1824 births
- 1908 deaths
- 19th-century Norwegian painters
- 20th-century Norwegian painters
- 19th-century Norwegian women artists
- 20th-century Norwegian women artists
- Norwegian feminists
- Portrait painters
- Burials at the Cemetery of Our Saviour
- Norwegian women's rights activists
- Norwegian expatriates in the United States
- Norwegian women painters
- Norwegian Association for Women's Rights people
- 20th-century women painters
- 19th-century women painters