Ørnulf Opdahl (1944) was born in Ålesund, Norway, and currently lives in Giske municipality, on the outskirts of Ålesund. He was educated at Statens Håndverks- og Kunstindustriskole and Statens Kunstakademi. His early figurative works gradually progressed towards the large scale oil paintings, for which he is known today. By the 1970s Opdahl became one of Norway´s most celebrated painters, with his strong compositions of form and colour, and his ability to convey the mood, power and scale of his depicted scenes of timeless nature. Opdahl is known for his oil paintings, however is just as remarkably skilled when working with water colour, prints and drawings.
Through his art Opdahl captures the dramatic nature of the North-West coast of Norway, Sundmøre, where he spent his childhood. His paintings depict the mood of the seasons and their magical light. One can seize a glimpse of light in the horizons of the regions enchanted winter darkness. Opdahl masterly conveys poetic encounters between ocean and land, storm and stillness, fjords and steep mountains, and heavy clouds plunging towards land from the ocean. Though his works portray the intense landscape of Sundmøre, they are not geographically labelled, and therefore resonate with a diversity of spectators; the essence of his art is not the location, but his experiences when meeting with nature.
Opdahls art is represented in several notable collections such as; Norwegian National Gallery, The Norwegian Museum of contemporary Art, Astrup Fearnley Museum, the institute for Nobel Peace Prize, Norsk Kulturråd and Equinor, amongst others.