Biography

Reidar Aulie was born in Oslo

Oslo

Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...

, the son of Nils Baltazar Aulie (1867–1951) and Martha Valstad (1872–1966). He grew up in a middle class home in Oslo. Reider Aulie was the younger brother of Andreas Aulie (1897-1990), a lawyer who was the Norwegian attorney general (Norges riksadvokat) from 1946 until 1967. Aulie graduated in 1927 and traveled to Paris

Paris

Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...

 in the autumn with fellow student, Bjarne Ness, who died of tuberculosis just before Christmas that year, only 25 years old. His death made a strong impression on the younger Aulie who had shared lodgings with Ness. Aulie debut at the Autumn Exhibition (Høstutstillingen) in 1927. Aulie already had in the 1930s, illustrated books by such authors as Ingeborg Refling Hagen

Ingeborg Refling Hagen

Ingeborg Refling Hagen was a Norwegian author and teacher.- Early life :Ingeborg Refling Hagen was born in Hedmark, Norway, in the parish Tangen besides Mjøsa, as the fourth child of the local miller...

 and Martin Andersen Nexø

Martin Andersen Nexø

Martin Andersen Nexø was a Danish writer. He was the first significant Danish author to depict the working class in his writings, and the first great Danish socialist, later communist, writer.-Biography:...

.

As a young progressive and intellectual artist, Aulie sided with the labor movement within the national political struggle. Auli paintings are full of symbolism. There is often rooms for several interpretations. Aulie was always concerned with the common man and portrayed him with great enthusiasm. In the 1930s he became an artist for the Socialist movement. In 1932 he participated in the Anti-War Conference in Amsterdam

Amsterdam

Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...

 the same year and was chairman of the Anti-War Committee in Oslo

Oslo

Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...

 and the surrounding area. In 1936 Aulie built house and studio on Maridalsveien Street in Oslo, where he lived the rest of his life

He became best known for the art produced during the Second World War. Aulie had a significant production in the years 1940-45, during periods spent in hiding out on a small farm owned by his in-laws in Eidsberg

Eidsberg

Eidsberg is a municipality in Østfold county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Mysen. Neighboring municipalities are Rakkestad, Askim, Skiptvet, Trøgstad, and Marker in Østfold, and Aurskog-Høland in Akershus....

. Auli main production year was 1943, when he painted the important war pictures of subjects that would not be tolerated German censorship. His notable work, entitled 9. april 1940, tells about the invasion which resulted in the occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany

Occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany

The occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany started with the German invasion of Norway on April 9, 1940, and ended on May 8, 1945, after the capitulation of German forces in Europe. Throughout this period, Norway was continuously occupied by the Wehrmacht...

. In the winter of 1945 he was sent to Grini concentration camp.

In 1950 he painted Arbeiderbevegelsens historie, a fresco of the labor movement's history, in Oslo City Hall

Oslo City Hall

Oslo City Hall houses the city council, city administration, and art studios and galleries. The construction started in 1931, but was paused by the outbreak of World War II, before the official inauguration in 1950. Its characteristic architecture, artworks and the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony, held...

. His last two decades were marked by the teaching duties, first as professor from 1958 and later as rector from 1965 at the Norwegian National Academy of Fine Arts

Norwegian National Academy of Fine Arts

The Norwegian National Academy of Fine Arts is a Norwegian university offering studies in the areas of specialization painting, photography / video / film, digital art, sound art, sculpture, installation, performance art, and art theory.-History:...

. In 1964, he received the Prince Eugen Medal

Prince Eugen Medal

The Prince Eugen Medal , is a medal conferred by the King of Sweden for "outstanding artistic achievement". The medal was established in 1945 by the then King of Sweden, Gustaf V in 1945, in connection with the eightieth birthday of his brother Prince Eugen who was a noted painter and art...

, a Swedish medal awarded by the King of Sweden for outstanding artistic work.

Notable work

• Tendens, 1931
• Jungelen, 1933
• Henrettelsesmorgen, 1933
• Kirken, 1935
• Et folkets hus bygges, 1936
• Frontsoldatenes hjemkomst, 1936
• Grahesten, 1937
• Overgangen, 1939
• Morgen, 1940
• 9. april 1940, 1943
• Gustav, 1943

Other sources

• Høisæther, Ole Rikard Reidar Aulie: Kunst og kamp (Gyldendal. 1998) ISBN 978-82-05-23473-4

External links

• Examples of art