Nineteenth-Century Altarpieces in Norwegian Churches

Abstract

In the second half of the nineteenth century, painted altarpieces depicting Christ assumed a central role in Norwegian ecclesiastical art, reflecting shifts in religious sentiment and artistic style. Seventeenth- and eighteenth- century altarpieces were replaced first with unadorned crosses, and later by motifs from the New Testament, such as Christ in Gethsemane, the Crucifixion, Christus Consolator  and Come Unto Me, the Resurrection, and the Baptism. These artworks were intended to evoke deep emotional and spiritual engagement within the congregation and to create a devout atmosphere. However,
widespread copying of them and their sentimental tone became points of contention in the twentieth century, at which point, during church restorations, many of the altarpieces were removed or relegated to less-prominent spaces, replaced by either older works or new, modern ones.