View from Stalheim is an 1842 oil-on-canvas painting by Norwegian artist
Johan Christian Dahl, depicting the view from the village of
Stalheim, in the county of
Vestland in western Norway. A major work of
Romantic nationalism, it is regarded as a national icon and one of Dahl's best works. The scene overlooks the Nærøy Valley, with the
sugarloaf-shaped peak of Jordalsnuten in the background, framed by other peaks and a rainbow. A small village in the centre is illuminated by the late afternoon sun. One of Dahl's purposes in the painting was that of
realism; the other was to capture the glory and magnificence of the mountains, and his country's culture associated with it. He had trouble with the painting, and avoided similarly large works after its completion. The painting is now in the collection of the
National Gallery in Oslo.
Painting credit: Johan Christian Dahl