Asbjørn Lund
Asbjørn Lund (1912-1993) grew up in Paulinelund, in a one of the wooden houses there, by Tormods gate/Klæbuveien in lower Elgeseter. He demonstrated a talent for drawing at an early age, and already when in middle school he was experienced with pencil, stick, brush and palette. However, it was advertising rather than visual art that came to be his field of work. He belonged to an active circle in Trondheim, counting such people as the later art historian Henning Gran, Jørleif Uthaug (later an important name in Norwegian pictorial art) and the later well-known advertising executive Per Mittet.
Lund also possessed a clear artistic and cultural talent. In 1938 his first illustrated texts were printed in Arbeider-Avisa [Labour newspaper of the time], and at about the same time he became a regular contributor to the magazine Bygdeungdommen [The district youth], which was founded in Trondheim by Karl Haugen in 1936. Here he regularly delivered texts, cartoons (partly using the pseudonym Bjørn Horg) and illustrations. He illustrated several books published by Bygdeungdommens forlag [The district youth publishing house], and also published his own book for children Heia Julius [Go Julius] (under the pseudonym Esbern Horrig!) in 1943.
From 1944 to 1946 he was instructed in drawing by Harald Stabell. In 1947 he moved to Oslo for good, having been admitted to a book illustration course at the school of art and design.
Asbjørn Lund remained a busy freelancer all his life. He delivered articles to the Oslo newspapers with illustrations. Historical Oslo settings were a recurring motif, but his main field was material about annual rhythms: days of celebration, holiday traditions and popular beliefs. He also wrote and illustrated for the periodical Magasinet for Alle, but it appears that he never managed to get quite on the good side of that select and canonised company.
Asbjørn Lund remained a busy freelancer all his life. He delivered articles to the Oslo newspapers with illustrations. Historical Oslo settings were a recurring motif, but his main field was material about annual rhythms: days of celebration, holiday traditions and popular beliefs. He also wrote and illustrated for the periodical Magasinet for Alle, but it appears that he never managed to get quite on the good side of that select and canonised company.
As time passed, he became more interested in his town of birth. He had thorough knowledge about the town history. For decades he would submit texts and drawings to Arbeider-Avisa. Here he presented episodes and incidents and events in the day-to-day life of the Trondheim of the past. The framework would need to be painstakingly exact, but he would then often insert fictitious elements to catch the reader’s interest. Lund had a predilection for old houses and city district history, and many appreciated this way of presenting town history. Some of this material was compiled in the book Vandringer i det Trondhjem som svant [Wandering in the Trondheim that disappeared], which was published in 1980.
Asbjørn Lund died during Easter 1993.
Recommended reading: Asbjørn Lund: Vandringer i det Trondhjem som svant [Wandering in the Trondheim that disappeared].