Hans Dahl was a keen chronicler of rural Norwegian life in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, capturing the daily lives of people along the country's famed fjords. On the Fjord typifies his mature style, highlighting the relationship between the Norwegian people and the grand natural landscape they inhabited. Here, Dahl captures a group of peasants wearing regional bunads, or folk costumes, as they stroll along the fjord following a day's work. The flowers in the foreground are captured with a vitality and vigor of brushstroke that reveals the early influence of the French Impressionists on the painter. Combined with his masterful use of composition and color, On the Fjord is a fine example of this accomplished artist's discerning gift for evoking the charm and nostalgia of his home.

Hans Dahl was born in Hardanger, West Norway in 1849. After serving his time in the Swedish Army, he studied art in Carlsruhe and in Düsseldorf under the Norwegian romanticist artist Hans Gude. His first exhibition was in Dusseldorf in 1876, and he lived in Germany for much of his early career. However, by the 1890s he was successful enough to support a second residence, and in 1893 he commissioned the Trondheim-based firm of Jacob Digre to build his summer home in Balestrand. Eventually, he moved to Balestrand full time; he was enamored with the Norwegian landscape, and it filled his canvases, informing his mature style. These works were among the best of his career and highly popular among art patrons of the period, including German emperor Kaiser Wilhelm II. Today, his light-filled paintings are much sought after by collectors worldwide, particularly those of German and Norwegian descent.