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Nikolai Astrup: Visions of Norway
A compelling introduction to the life and artistic output of a trailblazing Norwegian painter, printmaker, and horticulturist
Nikolai Astrup (1880–1928) was a highly individual Norwegian Modernist artist known for intensely colored paintings and woodcuts of his native landscape. Astrup received a formal art education in Kristiania (now Oslo), Germany, and Paris, but he later rebelled against certain aspects of his training, such as the traditional conventions of optical perspective. He rejected metropolitan cultural centers in favor of his rural childhood home in western Norway, where he produced a remarkable body of work. This volume brings Astrup’s life and work to a North American audience, situating him within the history and culture of Norway and late 19th- and early 20th-century art. Astrup’s horticultural achievements in the service of his art on the farm where he lived are also explored. The book’s beautiful illustrations highlight the intensity of Astrup’s palette, the innovative nature of his prints, and the magical realism of his landscapes steeped in folklore and local customs.
Distributed for the Clark Art Institute in cooperation with KODE Art Museums and Composer Homes, Bergen, Savings Bank Foundation DNB, and Prince Eugen’s Waldemarsudde
Exhibition Clark Art Institute, Williamstown, MA
(June 19–September 19, 2021)
KODE Art Museums and Composer Homes, Bergen
(October 15, 2021–January 23, 2022)
Prince Eugen’s Waldemarsudde, Stockholm
(February 19–May 29, 2022)
Nikolai Astrup (1880–1928) was a highly individual Norwegian Modernist artist known for intensely colored paintings and woodcuts of his native landscape. Astrup received a formal art education in Kristiania (now Oslo), Germany, and Paris, but he later rebelled against certain aspects of his training, such as the traditional conventions of optical perspective. He rejected metropolitan cultural centers in favor of his rural childhood home in western Norway, where he produced a remarkable body of work. This volume brings Astrup’s life and work to a North American audience, situating him within the history and culture of Norway and late 19th- and early 20th-century art. Astrup’s horticultural achievements in the service of his art on the farm where he lived are also explored. The book’s beautiful illustrations highlight the intensity of Astrup’s palette, the innovative nature of his prints, and the magical realism of his landscapes steeped in folklore and local customs.
Distributed for the Clark Art Institute in cooperation with KODE Art Museums and Composer Homes, Bergen, Savings Bank Foundation DNB, and Prince Eugen’s Waldemarsudde
Exhibition Clark Art Institute, Williamstown, MA
(June 19–September 19, 2021)
KODE Art Museums and Composer Homes, Bergen
(October 15, 2021–January 23, 2022)
Prince Eugen’s Waldemarsudde, Stockholm
(February 19–May 29, 2022)
240 pages, Hardcover
First published June 30, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 15, 2022
Astrup is my new art discovery, after going to the solo exhibition at KODE in Bergen.
Just phenomenal, and although the deep impressiveness of the actual pictures inevitably do not quite coming through the pages of the book (scale and texture do not really reproduce), this volume is still a joy and has opened up the context and references of the man. In my mind he was just as psychologically complex as Munch, and technically superior.
One day I would love to visit Jolster, his somewhat remote (in his day at least) mountain homeland, and perhaps take part in the midsummer bonfire festivities....
Just phenomenal, and although the deep impressiveness of the actual pictures inevitably do not quite coming through the pages of the book (scale and texture do not really reproduce), this volume is still a joy and has opened up the context and references of the man. In my mind he was just as psychologically complex as Munch, and technically superior.
One day I would love to visit Jolster, his somewhat remote (in his day at least) mountain homeland, and perhaps take part in the midsummer bonfire festivities....
April 3, 2022
It had been a long time since I purchased an expensive art book, but after experiencing the powerful Norwegian landscapes of Nikolai Astrup that I saw at The Clark last summer in Williamstown, MA, I could not resist. I spent an entire week reading over the essays and studying the beautiful color reproductions of the works I had seen at the exhibition. I even felt like painting again, I was so inspired by Astrup's vision. If you like early 20th century landscape art, try to get hold of a copy and have a look!
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews