The Düsseldorf Influence The landscape of 19th-century Norwegian art finds a distinct voice in the works of Mathilde Smith. Born in Oslo in 1824, she began her formal training at the Royal Drawing School in Christiania under Johannes Flintoe. By 1850, her trajectory shifted toward the rigorous academic traditions of the Düsseldorf School. Studying under Hans Gude and Johann Wilhelm Schirmer, she absorbed a specific visual language: a preference for dark palettes, meticulous detailing, and the dramatic interplay of mountains and sea. Her early output reflects this training, often leaning into…