Christian Krohg was born at
Vestre Aker (now Oslo), Norway. He was one of five children born to Georg Anton Krohg (1817–1873) and Sophie Amalia Holst (1822–1861). He was a grandson of
Christian Krohg (1777–1828) who had served as a government minister. His father was a civil servant, journalist and author. His mother died when he was only 8 years old, and his father's sister took over responsibility for the household and the upbringing of the children. From 1861, he attended
Hartvig Nissen School. His father had asked him to pursue a legal career. Krohg studied law at the
University of Oslo (then
Christiania) graduating
cand.jur. in 1873, the same year in which his father died. During 1869–70, he had also studied at the art school of
Johan Fredrik Eckersberg at
Lille Grensen in Christiania. He was additionally educated in Germany, first at the
Baden School of Art in
Karlsruhe under
Hans Gude in 1874. He also trained under
Karl Gussow from 1875. He followed with study at the
Königliche Akademie in
Berlin from 1875 to 1878. Krohg worked in
Paris from 1881 to 1882. Inspired by the ideas of the
realists he chose motifs primarily from everyday life – often its darker or socially inferior sides. Prostitution is the subject of his painting
Albertine i politilægens venteværelse, and Krohg also wrote a novel about the depicted scene. The novel,
Albertine, caused a scandal when first published, and it was confiscated by the police. Krohg's style made him a leading figure in the transition from
romanticism to
naturalism. Krohg was the founding and editor-in-chief of the
Kristiania Bohemian journal,
Impressionisten from 1886 until 1890. He then became a journalist for the
Oslo newspaper from 1890 to 1910. Christian Krohg was also associated with
Politiken 1893–1894. He taught at
Académie Colarossi in Paris from 1902 until 1909. Later he became a professor-director at the
Norwegian Academy of Arts (
Statens Kunstakademi) from 1909 until 1925. There are notable collections of art by Christian Krohg in the
National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design in Oslo and at
Skagens Museum in Denmark. ==Awards and honors==