17. mai (syttende mai), the 17th of May, Norway´s Constitution Day is approaching.  This coming Tuesday Norwegians will celebrate the day their Constitution was signed in 1814.  It is a day to celebrate together with family and friends by enjoying delicious food, attending parades and parties, and appreciating Norwegian traditions.  A tradition that I don´t know much about, but am highly interested in is woodcarving.

I am not a very creative individual when it comes to my artistic abilities.  In fact, I would venture to say that I have no artistic abilities.  I can design and make beaded earrings which I suppose takes some sort of creative talent, but other than that, I´m out.  However, if I were to attempt another artform, I think it would be woodcarving.

In Norway, woodcarving is everywhere.  Many homes I´ve spent time in have figurines or wooden furniture that have intricate designs on them.  Stave churches, homes, and other older buildings are adorned with this beautiful artform.  Woodcarving is a very old Norwegian tradition dating back to the Viking Age.  Wooden sculptures have been found in burial mounds and are so intricate that is nearly impossible for modern woodcarvers to replicate them.

In the 17th century, woodcarving was mostly limited to church decor, such as on altarpieces or pulpits.  The 18th century was the Golden Age of woodcarving in Norway.  Master artisans began to produce designs inspired by the Acanthus plant, a plant from the Mediterranean that resembles the common thistle.  The first appearance of this design in Norway was on an altarpiece designed by a Dutchman in 1669 and was placed in the Oslo Cathedral.

In the early 19th century, woodcarving became very common  in the interior of homes.  The acanthus pattern was the most popular and eventually was used on smaller home furniture items such as cupboards, clock cabinets, framed artwork and photos, and jewelry boxes.  In the late 1800s, a formal education program was established to train craftspeople in this artform.  Lars Kinsarvik developed a new style called the Dragon Style, which became very popular, especially in western Norway.

Rosemaling, the floral-like Norwegian painting style was inspired by acanthus style woodcarvings.  As woodcarving is an extremely intricate style of artwork, many people who do not want to take up the task of woodcarving will attempt to paint the design instead.  It may be my favorite artistic design.  My next tatoo is going to be some sort of acanthus design.