Kjerringa med Lykta by Nikolai Astrup

Kjerringa med Lykta
1895-99
Expressionism
Oil on trouser fabric
The Savings Bank Foundation DNB / KODE

Created by Astrup in his youth “Kjerringa med Lykta” (Old Woman with a Lantern) is painted on used trouser fabric suggesting the artist was struggling financially and unable to afford canvas. The painting depicts a hunched old woman dressed in black carrying a lantern between two dark brown log cabins. The setting is a winter scene during heavy snowfall. The painting exemplifies the neo-romantic use of landscape and weather conditions as a method of conveying strong memories and emotions as evoked by nature. Astrup, in his early works, depicted snow as a natural adversary to be endured and overcome.

Nikolai Astrup
Expressionism
Born: 30 August 1880, Bremanger, Norway
Nationality: Norwegian
Died: 21 January 1928, Førde, Norway

Astrup was a modernist painter with a distinctive and innovative style noted for its intense use of colour depicting the landscapes of Vestlandet and the traditional way of life in the region.