By Daniel Fulco, Ph.D., Agnita M. Stine Schreiber Curator

To mark the special exhibition Landscapes & Legends of Norway: William Singer & His Contemporaries (on view through Sept. 17), we hope that you enjoy this painting in our collection. If you visit the museum, this work is included in the exhibition.

Jacob Dooijewaard (Dutch, 1876–1969)
Olden, Norway, Winter, 1924
Oil on canvas
21 1/2″ H x 26″ W
Collection of Washington County Museum of Fine Arts
Gift of Mr. & Mrs. Spence Perry, A4470,10.0003

This winter landscape of Norway recalls William Singer’s similar subjects and was likely painted by Jacob Dooijewaard during one of his stays in Olden. Here, the painter represented some of the same buildings found in Singer’s paintings, most notably the “Old” Olden Church, which is visible in The Village of Olden and In the Shadow of the Artic (see below, both on display in this exhibition). Dooijewaard also employed a range of blues to accentuate the frigid, icy conditions. Note his stark juxtaposition of the red houses below the mountain with the snow-covered landscape. Following the lead of the Impressionists, Dooijewaard, like Singer, often experimented with light and color in his work.

Born and trained in Amsterdam, Dooijewaard was active in the art colony at Laren, The Netherlands, where, in 1901, he met Washington County Museum of Fine Arts founders William and Anna Brugh Singer. By 1919, Dooijewaard was a third member of the Singer household (see below), painting almost daily with William, advising them on art purchases, accompanying them on their travels, and, after William’s death in 1943, serving as Anna’s companion until her death in 1962.

William H. Singer, Jr. (American, 1868–1943)
The Village of Olden, 1931
Oil on canvas
38 1/2″h x 42 1/2″w
Collection of Washington County Museum of Fine Arts
Gift of Anna Brugh Singer, A0584,49.0014

William H. Singer, Jr.
In the Shadow of the Arctic, ca. 1928
Oil on canvas
39″h x 41″w
Collection of Washington County Museum of Fine Arts
Gift of Anna Brugh Singer, A0584,49.0013

Dooijewaard with the Singers and dog Laila on the terrace of their home, Dalheim, 1925–30