Gerhard Munthe

Gerhard Munthe (1849-1929) was a Norwegian painter, illustrator and decorative artist. Proponent of the Scandinavian Arts and Crafts movement, he revolutionized Norwegian textile art. While living in Munich between 1877 and 1882, he painted in a naturalist syle. Inspired by the principles of the aesthetic movement and the fashion for Japanese design, however, Munthe started experimenting with decorative arts in the 1890s. His illustrations and tapestries feature stylized motifs taken from ancient Norse mythology.