The Dream of Peace
The Dream of Peace is an 8.6 meters wide by 6.5 meters tall oil painting on canvas by Norwegian artist, Henrik Sørensen (b. 1882 – d. 1962), depicting themes of war, defeat, and hope for humanity. It is on permanent display in the United Nations Library & Archives in Geneva at the Palais des Nations.[1]
History[edit]
Commissioned in 1937 by the Norwegian government, it was over two years in production.[2] Several other painters contributed to the painting: the constructivist Georg Jacobsen, extraordinary professor in the period of 1936-40 at the Academy of Fine Arts in Oslo, designed the pyramid. Cathrine Riddervold, a student of Sørensen, acted as an assistant: painting, notably the two large ornamental arches separating the pyramid from the two side panels.[2]
Halvdan Koht, at the time Norway’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, personally commissioned the art together with Carl J. Hambro, then President of the Parliament.[3] After being shortly displayed at the House of Artists in Oslo in November 1939, the work was rolled up and brought by train to Geneva.[3] There it was mounted in the Palais des Nations to adorn the Great Reading Room of the League of Nations Library, a place of calm and contemplation.[3] The mural was inaugurated in December 1939 in the presence of Carl J. Hambro, then-President of the League of Nations Assembly, reinforcing the highly symbolic gesture of the painting's donation.[4]
Composition[edit]
The initial sketch of The Dream of Peace was quite different from the final painting. It depicted a rising sun and a frieze featuring portraits of the founding fathers of the League of Nations idea. The project was rejected, and the current composition was chosen.[2]
Color plays a crucial role in this painting. The artist emphasized his message using of blue and green tones, colors of hope, and lighter hues of the sun to guide the dream of humanity. The characters lack physical power and majesty. On the contrary, they are slender and uniform. The iconographic ensemble recalls the triangular compositions of the Last Judgment, where paradise and hell are separated, one depicted on the left and the other on the right. The golden frame of the painting is meant to represent a halo.[5]
References[edit]
- ^ Library Event: "Dream of Peace: an Artist’s Vision", retrieved 2024-02-22
- ^ a b c Hoff, Svein Olav (1992). Henrik Sørensen (in Norwegian). Gyldendal. p. 211. ISBN 82-05-20945-6.
- ^ a b c The Dream of Peace. Leaflet published in 2018 by the Permanent Mission of Norway to the United Nations, in close collaboration with Ms Torild Skard. UN/LIB/2019/16
- ^ "The dream of Norway". Bookanista. 2020-05-26. Retrieved 2024-02-22.
- ^ Jong, Anneleen; United Nations, eds. (2001). La représentation de l'humanité: collection des œuvres d'art de l'Office des Nations Unies à Genève. Genève: Nations Unies. ISBN 978-92-1-200357-3.
Further reading[edit]
- "The Dream of Peace". Norgesportalen. 2018-09-21. Retrieved 2023-11-09.
- Sørensen, Sven Oluf; Sørensen, Henrik Ingvar (2003). Søren (in Norwegian). ISBN 978-82-7694-137-1.
External links[edit]
- UN Library Geneva Global Search - Le rêve de la paix / Henrik Sørensen
- Mural.ch - Geolocated works of art
- Norway in Geneva - The Dream of Peace
- Womens International League for Peace & Freedom Norway (IKFF)
- United Nations Library & Archives in Geneva: Gifts from Governments - Correspondence with the Government of Norway