Christian Martinius Susseg Midjo Portrait
- Title:
- Christian Martinius Susseg Midjo Portrait
- Collection:
- Campus Artifacts, Art & Memorabilia
- Creator:
- Brauner, Olaf Martinius
- Photographer:
- Unknown. Photograph from Vesterheim Norwegian American Museum website which houses original portrait
- Date:
- 1912
- Location:
- Vesterheim Norwegian American Museum (Decorah, Iowa)
- Country:
- Norway
- ID Number:
- artsdb_0273
- Accession Number:
- W84-44.5
- File Name:
- artsdb_0273.jpg
- Culture:
- Norwegian
- Work Type:
- portraits
- Materials/Techniques:
- Oil
- Subject:
- Midjo, Christian, 1880-1973
- Image View Type:
- General
- Image View Description:
- Front View
- Measurement:
- 2.5 x 5 (feet)
- Description:
- "At Cornell 1909-1946, Art Department. Portrait, oil 1912, artist O. M. Brauner. It measures about 2.5 x 5 feet and shows the subject full-length. The custodian, Mr. Richard R. Traver, and I found this in the attic of Tjaden Hall (formerly Franklin) on January 30, 1979. It was partly buried in dusty rubbish consisting of broken picture frames, pictures evidently abandoned by former students, lumber, etc. The portrait had lost its frame, there were several tears in the canvas, fortunately only in the background, and was torn from its stretchers in several places. We took the portrait down to the Art Department but they could not assume the responsibility of keeping it. I called the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art to report the find and they came and took it to the Museum. It remained there unrestored until 1982. Then it went to The Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum, Decorah, Iowa, where it will remain. It has been restored and was included in the exhibition of paintings of O. M. Brauner at the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, June 9 to July 17, 1983. The portrait is one of Brauner's finest. From Professor Brauner's son, Professor Erling Brauner, I learned that this portrait had been presented to Cornell after his father's death in 1949. It is disheartening to realize that in later years apparently no one in any position of responsibility realized that both subject and painter were among America's foremost artists and evidently no effort was made to insure that this painting was properly cared for. Both artists had been on the Cornell Arts faculty for many years. Professor Brauner retired in 1939 and Professor Midjo in 1946. Both were well-known for their portraits and landscapes. " Quotation from Elizabeth Baker Wells' book, "Contributions to Cornell History: Portraits, Memorabilia, Plaques and Artists", pp 44-45.
Olaf Martinus Brauner (9 February 1869-3 January 1947) was born in Christiana Norway. He came to the United States when he was 14 years old. He trained at the Massachusetts Normal Art School and the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. After completing his training he came to Cornell as Instructor of Industrial Art in the Sibley College of Engineering. He was soon promoted to Assistant Professor of Drawing and Painting and received the rank of Professor of Drawing and Painting in 1909. During the entire period of his association with the College of Architecture, beginning in 1896, he served as head of the Department of the Fine Arts. He retired from active duty in 1939 and received the title of Professor Emeritus. At different times he taught each course given in the Department, sculpture as well as drawing and painting. For over four decades every student of the College of Architecture came under his tutelage. - Repository:
- Vesterheim Norwegian American Museum
- Format:
- Image
- Rights:
- The content in the Campus Artifacts, Art & Memorabilia Collection is protected by copyright, and the copyright holders are Cornell University Library and the Cornell Association of Professors Emeritus. This collection was created by Cornell University Library in 2010, with funding from a Digital Collections in Arts and Sciences Grant to Howard Howland. Cornell is providing access to the materials for research and personal use. The written permission of any copyright and other rights holders is required for distribution, reproduction, or other use that extends beyond what is authorized by fair use and other statutory exemptions. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of an item and securing any necessary permissions ultimately rests with persons desiring to use the item. Please contact the Cornell Association of Professors Emeritus at cape@cornell.edu for more information about this collection, or to request permission to use these images.