Norwegian Rose Painting

Nils Tveiterås came from Samnanger to Midthus in Hegglandsdalen i 1824. Like his father, he had practised the art of rose painting. As time went by Nils developed his own style which stood out from the traditional style he’d grown up with. This later became known as Os painting. Nils, who has now taken the surname Midthus also took on apprentices. Firstly, the neighbour’s son Ola Lien, who later took the surname Midtbø, and his own søn Annanias, who later took the surname Tveit. These two, Ole Midtbø and Annanias Tveit developed the style further, and through their long careers as rose painters, Os painting reached a new level. The two masters of art are responsible for a formidably large production of work from the latter half of the 1800’s to circa 1920. Those who later carried on this tradition had learned the art from one of these two. Annanias Tveit had many apprentices; for many years he ran a rose painting school from his workshop in Tveit.

Many learned the skill and painted up to the end of the 1930’s, but after the Second World War it was mainly his nephew, Peder Rød, and Ole Midtbø’s son, Karl, who kept the tradition going. They did however produce on a large scale throughout their long lives. Annanias Rød, who had learned the art from his father ran many courses and therefore laid the foundations for the rise of the rose painting culture from the 1970’s onwards. Rose painting is more popular today than it has been for a long time. The most experienced rose painter today is probably Torunn Rød Farsund. As the daughter of Annanias Rød she is the seventh generation of rose painters. Os is most likely the only place in the country where rose painting has been a continuous, living tradition from the 1820’s to the current day.