early life and training

ole peter hansen balling, a norwegian artist, was born in kristiania (now oslo) in 1823. he began his artistic journey as a student of norwegian artist ferdinand jonas gjøs and later trained under danish artists, including jacob emilius wnderlich. balling's early training laid the foundation for his future success in capturing the essence of his subjects.

a career spanning continents

balling's artistic career took him to various parts of the world. he studied at art academies in berlin (1843-1845) and copenhagen (1846-1848), and later, in 1854, he honed his skills under thomas couture in paris. this exposure to diverse artistic styles and techniques is reflected in the breadth of his work.

• volunteering in the first schleswig-holstein war, balling demonstrated his commitment to service, which later led to his command of the 145th new york volunteer infantry regiment during the american civil war.
• his time in the united states (1856-1874) saw the creation of numerous portraits, including those of union army generals and prominent american statesmen, such as ulysses s. grant, chester arthur, and john brown.
• upon returning to norway, balling operated a painter workshop in horten, capturing the likenesses of norwegian naval officers and members of the royal bernadotte family.

legacy and awards

balling's work is featured in several prestigious institutions, including:

• national portrait gallery in washington, d.c., where his portraits are a testament to his skill.
• west point military academy in new york and the united states naval academy in annapolis, maryland, also showcase his work.
• in norway, his pieces can be found at the royal norwegian navy museum in horten and the national museum of art, architecture and design in oslo.

awarded the order of the dannebrog, balling's contributions to the world of art are undeniable.

view more works by ole peter hansen balling on OriginalUniqueArt.com

• ole peter hansen balling: grant and his generals (national portrait gallery, oil on canvas)
• explore more of balling's portraits on OriginalUniqueArt.com, where you can also find reproductions of his work and other famous artists.

references

• the hirschsprung collection, copenhagen
• ole peter hansen balling on wikipedia.org

note: the provided links are for OriginalUniqueArt.com and wikipedia, as per the instruction to only include relevant links from these sources.