måleriets

Måleriet is the visual art form of painting, and in Norwegian and Danish usage it denotes painting as a discipline as well as the corpus of works produced within it. The possessive form måleriets is used when referring to aspects such as måleriets historie (the history of painting) or måleriets utvikling (the development of painting). The field encompasses a range of media, supports and styles, from traditional oil painting on canvas to contemporary mixed-media practices. As a cultural practice, måleriet is studied in art history, museums, and educational settings, and it interacts with other media such as drawing, sculpture, and digital art.

Typical materials and methods include pigments suspended in oil, water, or synthetic binders, applied to surfaces like canvas, wood panel, plaster, or paper. Techniques range from thin glazing and precise modeling to thick impasto and expressive brushwork. Common genres include portrait, landscape, still life, and history painting, as well as non-representational and abstract approaches. The field also covers conservation, restoration, and the analysis of technique and attribution, which help preserve works for future study and exhibition.

Historically, painting has deep roots in ancient and medieval traditions, with major transformations during the Renaissance through the development of perspective and oil painting, and the codification of genres. The modern era brought movements such as realism, impressionism, expressionism, and abstraction, followed by diverse contemporary practices that incorporate conceptual approaches and digital tools. Today måleriet continues to evolve through global exchange, museums and galleries, and education, contributing to cultural identity and the dialogue between tradition and innovation.