Letter

Astrup, Nikolai to Kramer, Per
1926-03-26

Transcription:

Tor Martin Leknes

Translation:

Francesca Nichols

Page

  • 1,
  • 2,
  • 3,
  • 4,
  • 5,
  • 6
Transcription
Translation

Letter

Astrup, Nikolai to Kramer, Per
1926-03-26
ubb-ms-1808-k-2, MARCUS – Spesialsamlingene ved Universitetsbiblioteket i Bergen

6 Pages

Transcription: Tor Martin Leknes

Translation: Francesca Nichols

Transcription

Kjære ven!

Kùn et par ord, medens posten er

ùdenfor. Tak for dit brev og "pùrrin-

gen", – ja jeg bùrde reist og seet "vest-

landsùdstillingen", – men her har jeg

ogsaa havt "pùrring" og "rykking" for

gjæld – og er ikke frisk; – jeg maatte

laane halvtredje hùndred kroner hos Fond

igaar for at klare en af de mest paa-

trængende kreditorer, – saa hvis dù kunde

faa solgt saa meget af træsnit for mig,

og faa sendt Fond, – var dù rigtig snild.

Det piner mig at maatte laane mere hos

Fond, da jeg skylder ham et par hùndred-

og vel det – för. Zakris vil ogsaa reise, hvis

han ikke faar 200 kr. om 14 dage (han 

skal snart have 1000 kr. nù hos mig), – iaar

har Engel prùttet ham lige ned i 200 kr. ;

men saa skal vi betale skat og sykekasse (ca. 60 kr)

Nù er det ikke saa godt at reise, da

Engel "gaar til ventings" hver dag, – (hùn

venter sig 2den paaskedag, men 14 dage

för eller senere kan jo variere med tiden.

Hùn er svært ængstelig dennegang, fordi

hùn ikke er frisk paa forhaand, –

plages af frygtelig hovne fötter og aare-

knùter og drikker natron oplöst i vand

eller melk hele dagen for at slippe

"bryst svi-ing", som hùn plages haardt

af, – maven hendes er snart lige saa

daarlig som min, – (jeg holder forresten min

i age ved hyppig faste – og spiser aldrig

mere end en gang pr. dögn – og ofte med et

par dögns mellemrùm, – og da er tilværelsen

taalelig for mavens vedkommende). –––

Jeg holder "tegneskole" for mig selv for tiden,

det vil sige jeg över mig i at se med "öie-

maal" – de harmoniske dimensioner og for-

hold i linjer flader og former, – det er ikke let. 

3

Det er noget jeg aldrig har lært fra först af,

og som jeg desværre aldrig har troet var nöd-

vendigt i kùnst, – men jeg har opdaget – lidt

for sent, – at man i kùnst – som i alt andet

andet – maa "kùnne" sit "haandværk". Disse

træsnit og andet skitt, som jeg har maattet

arbeide med i senere tid, har lagt for

megen beslag paa min tid, – saa jeg har for-

sömt min "aandelige habitùs". –––

Jeg var jo inde paa tingene allerede for 10–15

aar siden, men lagde det paa hylden igjen.

Ja"livet er kort og kùnsten lang", som 

Long-Fellow saa sandt har sagt. –––

Nù har jeg malet om-igjen "gaasa" for 3de gang

til Mons Breidvik, og nù faar han den bedste

ùdgave af det; – jeg gaar nemlig ud fra, at

dù vil, jeg skal sende eller tage med mig

det, dù saa her, og som jeg lovede at lade

dig sælge sammen med "stillebenet" og det lille

billede af hùsene (seet ùdenfra bakken i vest for

4

"Engelsplanen" og stenbordet) – ikke det af

lignende motiv seet længere ùde fra (i nærheden

af Fluge), – altsaa ikke dette sidste, som dù

nù antagelig mener, – da dù taler om, at der

var nogle börn paa det, – (dette er nærmest en

stùdie bare, og som dù husker, – jeg sagde, – maa

jeg have vaaren igjen, förend det kan gjöres

noget ùd af.). Det andet derimod (med det

(* röde hùstag, – som blev malet for at pröve, hvor-

dan teglstenstag vilde tage sig du – straks efter

at vi havde bygget i 1913) – det har jeg arbeidet

meget paa, ùden at jeg veed, om det er bleven

noget bedre, – kompositionen er i allefald

fastere, – men alt er jo saa forandret her –

siden den gang, at det var vanskeligt i höst

at stùdere motivet; – (der er jo en hel liden skog-

paa "Engelsplanen" ved stenbordet – nù – vokst til.)

Jeg skriver vist ùforstaaeligt – da jeg er svært

nervös for tiden, (har været "afholdsmand" i 

snart 2 mndr.). – Ja, tör jeg plage dig

med en ting, – men det maatte være

(* Nù Dr. Kreybergs Sandalsstrand )

nogenlùnde straks: – Dù veed, jeg har

altid havt en fl. Champagne til Engel

ùnder slige "omstændigheder" og skùlde

ogsaa havt det denne gang; – kùnde dù

sende en slig fl. pr. post, – var dù snild;

kan dù pakke den ind mellem to flade

fiskepùddinger (ikke hermetiske), saa havde

hùn, barsel-mat med det samme, – (her

er saa koldt, at fiskepuddinger holder sig

1 maaned). Her er sol og bidendende kold

östenvind hver dag nù, siden forrige helg;

det var vel "vestlandsudstillingens sidste dag?

Lige til den dag, har her raset et frygteligt

ùveir, – men jeg havde gjerne reist – ind til

Bergen for 8 dage siden, om jeg havde vidst,

hvor længe udstillingen varede. Skal den

nù til Throndhjem först og saa til Stavanger?

Eller omvendt? Svar, er dù snild! 

Har dù nogen "kritikker" fra udstillingen? Jeg

6

har kùn seet Korsvolds i B.T. – Har hört at

"Gùla Tidend" skal have havt en lang omtale

af min ùværdige person. Kan dù vedlægge

Champis-pùdding-pakken en eller 2 trekant-

filer, (den forövrigt ùdmærkede sag, som dù

skaffede Zakris i höst er lidt for "myg" saa

den maa ofte files (og en fil slides næsten ud hver gang). Jeg fyrer med raa veed

i attelieret i mangel af stenkùl, og da gaar her

over 2 fùlde sækker veed pr. dögn, (jeg ligger

her om natten ogsaa nù); – til næste aar maa jeg

nok faa "tættet" rùmmet, – varmen er borte paa 10

minùtter, naar det er sliknet i ovnen. – Hils

Kari, – hùn beder mig tegne mönster, – det er 

et vanskeligt arbeide, naar man skal gjöre

det godt, – jeg har mange ideer paa lager, men

naar det gjælder billedvæv, – mener jeg, at kun

det bedste er godt nok, og det kræver arbeide –

og stùdiùm. Jeg har stùderet den slags i 30 aar, ùden

at jeg endnù dùer til det arbeide. – Ja, saa reiser

jeg antagelig naar "begivenheden" er over her. Bedste 

hilsen til Kari og Dere alle! Engel beder hilse

Kari og takker for brev (gjennem Karen). Hils frk.

Ragna B. og Kreyberg! Din hengivne Astrup

Translation

Dear friend!

Just a few words, while the postman is

outside. Thank you for your letter and “remind-

er”, – yes I should have gone to see the “West

Norway exhibition”, – but here I have

also received “reminders” and “demands” pertaining to

debts – and am not well; – I was forced to

borrow two hundred and fifty kroner from Fond

yesterday in order to take care of one of the most in-

trusive creditors, – so if you could

sell as many of the woodcuts [as possible] for me, 

and have [the money] sent to Fond, – it would be very kind of you.

It pains me to have to borrow more from

Fond, as I owe him a couple of hundred 

and more – from before . Zakris also wants to leave, if 

he does not get 200 kr. in a fortnight (he 

will soon have 1000 kroner in back pay from me now), – this

year Engel has haggled him down to 200 kr. ;

but then we have to pay taxes and sickness insurance (approx. 60 kr.)

Now is not a good time to travel, since

Engel “is expecting” any day, – (her

due date is the 2nd day of Easter, but it

can vary by a fortnight before or after.

She is very anxious this time, because

she is not well to begin with, –

is plagued by terribly swollen feet and varicose

veins and is drinking baking soda dissolved in water

or milk all day long in order to avoid

“stinging breasts”, which she suffers greatly

from, – her stomach is nearly as 

bad as mine, – (incidentally I keep mine

at bay through frequent fasting – and never eat

more than once a day – and often with a 

couple of days in between, – and then existence is

tolerable as far as the stomach is concerned). –––

I have been giving myself “drawing lessons” lately,

that is to say I practice seeing “by

eye” – harmonious dimensions and the relation-

ship between lines surfaces and shapes, – it is not easy. 

3

It is something I have never learned from the beginning,

and which I unfortunately have never believed was neces-

sary in art, but I have discovered – a little

too late, – that in art – as in all other

things – one must “know” one’s “craft”. These

woodcuts and other shite, that I have had

to work with lately, have taken up too

much of my time, – so that I have neg-

lected my “spiritual state”. –––

I was into these things already 10–15

years ago, but then put them aside again.

Well “life is short and art is long”, as 

Longfellow so aptly put it. –––

I have now painted “the goose” over again for the 3rd time

for Mons Breidvik, and now he will get the best

version of it; – I’m assuming, that

you want me to send or bring with me

the one, that you saw here, and which I promised to let

you sell together with “the still life” and the little

picture of the buildings (seen from the hill to the west of 

4

“Engel’s plane” and stone table) – not the one of

a similar motif seen from a further distance (close

to Fluge), – in other words not this last one, which you

presumably intend now, – when you mention, that there

were some children in it, – (this is practically 

only a study, and as you remember, – I said, – I needed

to have the remainder of the spring, in order to make

something out of it). The other one however (with the

(* red rooftop, – which was painted to test how

the tiled roof would appear – immediately after

we had built [the house] in 1913) – this one I have worked

a lot on, although I don’t know, whether it has

improved any, – the composition is at least

more consolidated, – but everything has become so changed here –

since that time, that it was difficult this autumn

to study the motif; – (a whole little grove

by the stone table in “Engel’s plane” has – now – established itself.)

I am doubtlessly writing unintelligibly – as I am very

anxious at the moment, (have been “a teetotaller” for 

nearly 2 months). – Well, dare I bother you

with something, – but it would have to be

(* Now Dr. Kreyberg’s Sandalsstrand )

relatively quickly: – You know, that I have

always had a bottle of Champagne for Engel

during such “circumstances” and would

also like to have one this time; – if you could

send a bottle of such via the post, – please;

if you could package it in between two flat

portions of fish pudding (not canned), then 

she would have nourishment for the postpartum period as well, – (here

it is so cold, that fish puddings keep for

1 month). Here there is sun and a chilling

easterly wind every day now, since last weekend;

that was the “West Norway exhibition’s last day wasn’t it? 

Right up until today, a terrible storm has

raged, – but I would have liked to come – to

Bergen 8 days ago, if I had known,

how long the exhibition lasted. Will it

now travel to Throndhjem first and then to Stavanger?

Or the reverse? Reply, please! 

Do you have any “reviews” of the exhibition? I

6

have only seen Korsvold’s in B.T. – Have heard that

“Gùla Tidend” had a long article

about my disreputable person. Can you include in the

Bubbly-pudding-package one or 2 triangle

files, (the otherwise excellent saw, that you

obtained for Zakris this autumn is a little too “soft” so that

it has to be sharpened often (and a file is nearly worn down each time). I burn green wood

in the study for lack of coal, and thus 

over 2 full sacks of wood are used up per day, (I spend

the night here as well now); – next year I will 

have to have the room “sealed”, – the heat disappears in 10

minutes, when the fire is extinguished in the stove. – Say hello to

Kari, – she asks me to draw a pattern, – it is 

a difficult job, if one is to do

it well, – I have many ideas in mind, but

when it comes to weaving, – I feel, that only

the best is good enough, and that requires work –

and study. I have studied this for 30 years, and

still am not good enough when it comes to that craft. – Well, I will probably

depart when “the event” here is over. Best 

wishes to Kari and all of You! Engel asks to say hello to

Kari and thank her for the letter (via Karen). Greetings to Miss

Ragna B. and Kreyberg! Your devoted Astrup