Peter Nicolai Arbo

Peter Nicolai Arbo was a Norwegian visual artist and painter born on 18 June 1831, and died on 14 October 1892. He is best known for his historical and mythological motifs, and is considered one of Norway's foremost specialists on these subjects.

Arbo studied for nine years in Düsseldorf, and developed there to become a skilled painter. Arbo had a special interest in horses, and often included the horse in his big battle scenes. He painted a number of famous works during his career, including the first representation of the Valkyrie in 1860. He also painted from European history, and one of his most famous works is The Conquered Standart. An episode of the 30 Years' War from 1857. In 1863 Arbo moved to Paris, where he lived for eleven years. This was an important period for his artistic development, and he developed into a skilled specialist in impact painting. He painted, among other things, Ingeborg, Frithjof's Beloved and the Battle of Waterloo during this period. Arbo's main work, Åsgaardsreien, was painted in Paris in 1872 and purchased for the National Gallery in the same year. The motif is taken from an old folk tale, and the image is filled with drama and an imaginative composition.

Arbo also painted portraits and altarpieces in addition to historical and mythological subjects. He is an important representative of the later national romantic painting in Norway, and enjoyed a great reputation in his time.