Portrait of the Poet Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson

Hi everyone! My name is Isabella, and I'm so excited to show you a really cool painting! It's a portrait, which means it's a picture of a person. This one is of a very important man from Norway, a long, long time ago. His name was Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, and he was a famous poet! Can anyone tell me what a poet is? (Pause for answers). That's right, a poet writes poems! nn

This painting was made by an artist named Erik Werenskiold. He painted it in 1885. That's a very long time ago! Imagine what life was like then! Look closely at the man in the painting. What do you notice about him? (Pause for answers). He's sitting in a big, red chair, right? It's a very comfy-looking chair! And he's wearing a nice dark suit. He looks very serious and thoughtful, doesn't he? nn

See his hair and beard? They're a light brown color. And he's holding something small and light-colored in his hands. Maybe it's a letter opener! What do you think he's thinking about? (Pause for answers). Maybe he's thinking about a poem he's writing, or maybe he's remembering something special. The artist, Werenskiold, was really good at showing us what the man was like, just by painting him. nn

The painting is mostly dark colors – browns and blacks. But that bright red chair really makes the man stand out! It's like the artist wanted us to focus all our attention on Bjørnstjerne. The background is plain and simple, so nothing distracts us from looking at him. It's like a spotlight shining just on him! nn

Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson was a very important person in Norway. He even won a very special prize called the Nobel Prize! That's like winning the biggest award ever for writing! This painting is a very important piece of history, because it shows us what this famous poet looked like. It's like a snapshot in time! Isn't that amazing? nn

So, next time you see a portrait, remember to look closely at all the details. What colors does the artist use? What is the person wearing? What is their expression? All these things tell us a story about the person in the painting. Thank you for looking at this painting with me today! Do you have any questions?