Nikolai Astrup () (30 August 1880 – 21 January 1928) was a

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe *Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway *Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including the ...

modernist

painter Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ai ...

. Astrup was a distinctive, innovative artist noted principally for his intense use of color depicting the lush landscapes of

Vestlandet Western Norway ( nb, Vestlandet, Vest-Norge; nn, Vest-Noreg) is the region along the Atlantic coast of southern Norway. It consists of the counties Rogaland, Vestland, and Møre og Romsdal. The region has no official or political-administrative ...

featuring the traditional way of life in the region.

Biography

Nikolai Johannes Astrup was born in the village of

Kalvåg Kalvåg is a village in Bremanger Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located on the southeast side of the island of Frøya on the coast along the Frøysjøen strait, the southern entrance to the Nordfjorden. The village of Kalvåg wa ...

on the island of Frøya in Norway. Astrup grew up in

Ålhus Ålhus is a small village in the municipality of Sunnfjord in Vestland county, Norway. It is located along the European route E39 highway on the northern side of the lake Jølstravatnet, in a largely agricultural area. Ålhus is located about ...

in rural

Jølster Jølster is a former municipality in Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway. It was located in the traditional district of Sunnfjord. The administrative centre was the village of Skei. Other villages in the municipality included Helgheim, Ålhus, Vass ...

between the

Sognefjord The Sognefjord or Sognefjorden (, en, Sogn Fjord), nicknamed the King of the Fjords ( no, Fjordenes konge), is the largest and deepest fjord in Norway. Located in Vestland county in Western Norway, it stretches inland from the ocean to the smal ...

and the

Nordfjord Nordfjord ( en, Northern fjord—in contrast to Sunnfjord) is a traditional district of Norway. Geography The region is located in the northern part of Vestland county in Western Norway. It centers on the Nordfjorden and it comprises the muni ...

. He was the eldest son of eleven children born to Christian Astrup (1844–1919) who was a parish priest at

Ålhus Church Ålhus Church ( no, Ålhus kyrkje) is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Sunnfjord Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the village of Ålhus on the northern shore of the lake Jølstravatnet. It is one of two churche ...

in Jølster. Astrup was the great-grandson of

Nils Astrup Nils Astrup (11 November 1778 – 26 September 1835) was a Norwegian politician. He was elected to the Storting, Norwegian Parliament in 1820, representing the constituency of ''Nedenæs og Raabygdelagets Amt''. He worked as a vogt there. He serv ...

(1778–1835), a member of the

Norwegian Parliament The Storting ( no, Stortinget ) (lit. the Great Thing) is the supreme legislature of Norway, established in 1814 by the Constitution of Norway. It is located in Oslo. The unicameral parliament has 169 members and is elected every four years base ...

. Astrup's father wanted him to become a priest and sent him to

Trondheim Cathedral School Trondheim Cathedral School ( no, Trondheim katedralskole, Latin: ''Schola Cathedralis Nidrosiensis'') is an upper secondary school located next to the Nidaros Cathedral in the center of Trondheim, Norway. History There is great dispute regarding ...

from 1895-97. However, Astrup failed his Latin exams as he was more interested in drawing and painting. In 1899, Astrup left for Kristiania (now Oslo) where he matriculated as student at the Royal Academy of Design. Astrup quickly left to join

Harriet Backer Harriet Backer (21 January 1845 – 25 March 1932) was a Norwegian painter who achieved recognition in her own time and was a pioneer among female artists both in the Nordic countries and in Europe generally. She is best known for her detailed ...

's painting school where he studied until 1901. Astrup lived in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

where he studied at the

Académie Julian The Académie Julian () was a private art school for painting and sculpture founded in Paris, France, in 1867 by French painter and teacher Rodolphe Julian (1839–1907) that was active from 1868 through 1968. It remained famous for the number a ...

and was a student of

Christian Krohg Christian Krohg (13 August 1852 – 16 October 1925) was a Norwegian naturalist painter, illustrator, author and journalist. Krohg was inspired by the realism art movement and often chose motifs from everyday life. He was the director and s ...

Académie Colarossi The Académie Colarossi (1870–1930) was an art school in Paris founded in 1870 by the Italian model and sculptor Filippo Colarossi. It was originally located on the Île de la Cité, and it moved in 1879 to 10 rue de la Grande-Chaumière in the ...

from 1901-02. Astrup later traveled to

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label=Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth larg ...

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...

, and

Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

. By 1902, he had returned to and settled in Jølster. In 1911, Astrup studied under

Lovis Corinth Lovis Corinth (21 July 1858 – 17 July 1925) was a German artist and writer whose mature work as a painter and printmaker realized a synthesis of impressionism and expressionism. Corinth studied in Paris and Munich, joined the Berlin Se ...

in Berlin at

Arthur Lewin-Funcke Arthur Lewin-Funcke, originally Arthur Levin (9 November 1866, Dresden - 16 October 1937, Berlin) was a German sculptor and medallist. Lewin was his father's name, and Funcke his mother's maiden name. Life and work After completing an apprent ...

's school of Painting. Astrup held three significant exhibitions during his lifetime; at Kristiania 1905 and 1911 and at Bergen in 1908. In 1907, he was married to Engel Sunde with whom he had eight children. Astrup struggled with tuberculosis and general poor health as his

asthma Asthma is a long-term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and easily triggered bronchospasms. Symptoms include episodes of wheezing, cou ...

worsened. In 1913, Astrup settled with his wife and children in Sandalstrand (now Astruptunet) on the south side of Lake Jølstravatn across from the village of

. He died of

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...

in 1928 at the age of 47 in the neighboring municipality of

Førde Førde is a former municipality in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. It was located in the traditional district of Sunnfjord. The administrative center was the town of Førde which in 2016 had 10,255 inhabitants. Other villages in Førde ...

. Astrup was buried in Ålhus Cemetery, in Jølster Norway. Image:N Astrup-Sjølvportrett.jpg, Selfportrait, 1904 Image:Bernhard Folkestad - Portrett av Nikolai Astrup.jpg, ''Portrait of Nikolai''
Bernhard Folkestad (1879 –1933) Image:Nikolai Astrup av Henrik Lund 1900.jpg, ''Nikolai Astrup''
Henrik Lund (1879-1935)

Artistry

Astrup preferred clear, strong colors and usually made

landscape art Landscape painting, also known as landscape art, is the depiction of natural scenery such as mountains, valleys, trees, rivers, and forests, especially where the main subject is a wide view—with its elements arranged into a coherent compos ...

depicting his surroundings in Jølster. Having spent the majority of his life in Jølster, the landscape proved a strong influence and through his paintings he sought 'a national "visual language" that evoked the traditions and folklore of his homeland'. His paintings describe an intimate interaction between nature and the developed environment, characterized by bold lines and distinctive rich color. Astrup is regarded as a neo-romantic painter, but he also worked with

woodcut Woodcut is a relief printing technique in printmaking. An artist carves an image into the surface of a block of wood—typically with gouges—leaving the printing parts level with the surface while removing the non-printing parts. Areas that ...

s. Astrup is looked upon as one of the greatest

artists of the early 1900s, and several of his paintings have been sold at auctions for approximately $500,000 USD. Astrup's works have been likened to those of his contemporary

Edvard Munch Edvard Munch ( , ; 12 December 1863 – 23 January 1944) was a Norwegian painter. His best known work, ''The Scream'' (1893), has become one of Western art's most iconic images. His childhood was overshadowed by illness, bereavement and the dr ...

, though Astrup's style has been described as being 'so much brighter – not just in colour, but also in mood'. The first exhibition of Astrup's work outside of

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

took place in London at

Dulwich Picture Gallery Dulwich Picture Gallery is an art gallery in Dulwich, South London, which opened to the public in 1817. It was designed by Regency architect Sir John Soane using an innovative and influential method of illumination. Dulwich is the oldest publi ...

, from 5 February - 15 May 2016. The exhibition displayed over 90 oil paintings and prints, including works from private collections never publicly exhibited. In 2021 Astrup's work was the subject of the large survey exhibition ''Nikolai Astrup: Visions of Norway'' at the

Clark Art Institute The Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, commonly referred to as the Clark, is an art museum and research institution located in Williamstown, Massachusetts, United States. Its collection consists of European and American paintings, sculp ...

Williamstown, Massachusetts Williamstown is a town in the northern part of Berkshire County, in the northwest corner of Massachusetts, United States. It shares a border with Vermont to the north and New York to the west. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolit ...

in the United States.

Awards

*Finnes Grant (1902) *Schäffers Grant (1906) *Henrichsen Scholarship (1908) * A. C. Houen Grant (1910–11) *Conrad Mohrs Grant (1918–19)

Legacy

KODE
Bergen`s largest museum for paintings, has devoted one wing entirely to Astrup's life and work. In 2018,

Mount Eerie Mount Eerie is the musical project of American songwriter and producer Phil Elverum. Elverum (also of The Microphones) is the principal member of the band, but has collaborated with many other musicians on his records and in live performances. ...

released a song titled "Two Paintings by Nikolai Astrup" from their album ''

Now Only ''Now Only'' is the ninth studio album by Mount Eerie, the solo project of American musician Phil Elverum. It was released on March 16, 2018, on Elverum's record label P.W. Elverum & Sun. Like the preceding Mount Eerie album ''A Crow Looked at ...

''.

Oil paintings

*''Tun i Jølster'', (1902) *''Stabbur i Jølster'', (before 1905) *''Kvennagong'', (before 1905) *''A Clear Night in June,'' (1905–07) *''Prestegården'', (before 1907) *''Grå vårkveld'', (1907) *''Juninatt og gammelt vestlandstun'', (before 1908) *''Kollen'', (1908) *''Vårnatt i hagen'', (1909) *''Grå vårkveld og blomstrende frukttrær'', (1909) *''Midsummer Eve bonfire'' (Norwegian: '' Jonsokbål''), (1912–26) *''Vårstemning'', (before 1914) *''Priseld'', (1915) *''Revebjelle'', (ca. 1920) *''Interiør med vugge'', (ca. 1920) *''Rhubarb at Sandalstrand'', (after 1925) File:N Astrup-Svanøybukta.jpg, File:N Astrup-Kl 2 juninat.jpg, File:N Astrup-St. Hansbål ved Jølstervatnet.jpg, File:N Astrup-Fjøsfrieri.jpg, File:N Astrup-Fugl på sten.jpg, File:N Astrup-Klar juninatt.jpg, File:N Astrup-Kornstaur.jpg, File:N Astrup-Kjerringa med lykta.jpg, File:N Astrup-Martzmorgen.jpg, File:N Astrup-Vårnatt og seljekall.jpg, File:Nikolai Astrup-Soleienatt.jpg, File:N Astrup-Natt.jpg, File:N Astrup-Prestegårdshagen.jpg, File:N Astrup-Rabarbra.jpg, File:Nikolai Astrup-Vårkveld ved Jølstervannet.jpg, File:N Astrup-Vårnatt i hagen.jpg, ' Image:N Astrup-Foss og bre.jpg, Image:N Astrup-Liten kornstaur.jpg, Image:N Astrup-Plognatten.jpg, Image:N Astrup-St. Hans-bål.jpg, Image:N Astrup-Maimåne.jpg, Image:N Astrup-Vinternatt.jpg, Image:Nikolai Astrup-Gammel fisker.jpg, Image:Nikolai Astrup-Akt tresnitt.jpg,

References

Literature

* * *

External links

Astruptunet – The Artist Home and studio

kodebergen.no

astruptunet.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Astrup, Nikolai 1880 births 1928 deaths Deaths from pneumonia in Norway People from Bremanger Norwegian landscape painters 19th-century Norwegian painters 19th-century Norwegian male artists 20th-century Norwegian painters Norwegian male painters 20th-century Norwegian male artists