August Cappelen was a Norwegian painter born in Skien in 1827 and died in Düsseldorf in 1852. He showed an early talent for art, and his mother, who was a skilled draftsman, guided him in his early years. In 1846, Cappelen went with Hans Gude and JF Eckersberg on a study trip to Gudbrandsdalen, which was of great importance to the young painters. In the autumn of the same year, Cappelen went to Düsseldorf and became a student at the art academy there. He remained there until 1850, with the exception of the winter of 1848-49 when he stayed in Christiania. In the summer of 1847 he visited Sogn and Hardanger and met a group of German Schirmer students.
Cappelen is considered one of the earliest mature and personal Norwegian painters of his time. He belonged to the Düsseldorf School in its Norwegian branch, and JW Schirmer was decisive for his development as a painter and landscape artist. Cappelen had a harmonious life without financial worries or social obstacles to his artistic career. He was musical and loved flowers and lush vegetation, and his many letters provide insight into his character and artistic development.
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