Letter
4 Pages
Transcription: Tor Martin Leknes
Transcription
Kjære Hr. Meyer!
Tak for pengene, som jeg net-op har
modtaget. Samtidig fik jeg ogsaa et brev
fra Dem – et brev som er sendt senere; – her
er en daarlig postforbindelse nù om vinteren, –
og jeg har forstaaet, at forskjelligt kommer væk
– det ser saaledes ùd til at fernis glasset er
kommet væk, naar De ikke har modtaget det endnù –
jeg sendte det nemlig i förste post efter at
billederne var afsendt. Jeg skal i tilfælde
det altsaa ikke skulde komme frem – sende
et nyt – dette er mit sidste forresten – men jeg
haaber, at nù da krigen er slùt, maa vi vel faa
varer igjen fra Frankrige, – men det kan vel gaa
en tid.
De nævner forskjellige ting ved billederne, som De
ikke er helt klar over: – angaaende "det lille" –
saa er det, – som staar i gröftevolden – nogle older-
renninger – (skùd fra en afhùgget older) – jeg har
kanske ikke lagt nok vægt paa det fortællen-
de i denne lille skisse; hvad De synes ligner
en blomsterpotte, – er den afhùggede olderstubb, –
hvorfra der om vaaren skyder nye skùd; – jeg bùrde
kanske ströget dette; – jeg tog det med, fordi jeg den-
gang syntes dette hörte med i vaarnatmystikken,
som en "saar" og samtidig næsten "ramm" akord;
der dog samtidig fortalte om livets "ùdræpelighed"
om vaaren: – den gamle stamme som forblöder sig
fordi öksen afskar dens sevje-aarer, – men nye
skùd fra roden hindrer, at det gamle liv dör ud.
II
Jeg mindtes noget fra Björnson om: "– aldrig kùer
man vaarens skùd – hvor der er gjærende kræfter
spirer det vaaren efter". – Nei dette blir for lithe-
rært, – jeg tænkte kùn paa (som ved enhver
skisse) at dette var et "notat" – en maler
maa gjöre sine "koncept-notater", saavel som
en forfatter, – og min hensigt var da i et större
billede at klargjöre dette, som kùn blev "noteret"
i skissen. – Jeg skal da, om De önsker det enten
helt stryge det – eller klargjöre det fortællende
(ved at gjöre olderstùbben – tydeligere kanske?)
Angaaende det store billede, – saa erindrede
jeg, at De nævnte noget om, at granen kanske
kùnde "ùdföres" <mere> – jeg forsögte det, men fandt,
at det vilde lett ödelægge den <rent> "maleriske"
virkning, – jeg lod den dog være være mere ùdfört, end
da De saa billedet hos mig – men denne udförelse
drog andre med sig, – den krævede, at den lille "apal"
i forgrùnden til höire maatte "udföres" mere: – skùlde
jeg da udföre den rent naturalistisk, – saa blev den
stygg; – thi den var egentlig en gammel kröbling,
der ofte havde været halvt opspist af gjeiterne
og kjörene, (jeg har en naturalistisk skisse af den); jeg
blev da nödt, at gaa en mellemvei – og halvt stilisere
den lidt. Noget lignende blev forholdet med hæggen
De spùrgte mig, om jeg ikke vilde ùdföre den lidt mere, –
(den stod mere i hvide masser för), – og jeg löste da disse op
i detailler med antydning til blomster; – denne hæg var,
hvad man her kalder en "hægge-nave" – en hæg, hvis kro-
ne om vinteren blir afskaaret til foder for gjeitene; – nogle
"livgrener" lader man dog staa igjen, for at den ikke
III
skal dö ùd; – disse faa grene paa det gam-
le træ er da ofte frodigere af blomster
end paa noget "ùbeskaaret" træ, det kan
blive næsten "loddent" af overflod paa kraft
– det har jo kùn de faa ùnge grene at
öde al sin gamle kraft paa; – det er mùligt
at jeg kùn daarligt har magtet at fortælle
dette, – skùlde jeg senere finde ùd at jeg bedre
kùnde klare at naa dette ved andre midler,
vil jeg være taknemlig for at faa lov at rette
det eller male det om – (selvfölgelig uden nogen
udgift for Dem) – jeg har flere notater og stùdier
til dette træ, – det stod forresten nærmere ind paa
huset med sine grene, – end jeg har malt det – (kanske
det havde været heldigere alligevel?)
Nei dette blir baade "löst og fast" om hinanden.
De faar ùndskylde daarligt papir og skrift.
Ja, jeg tænker daglig paa at reise ind til Bergen, men
mine kvælningsanfald gjör mig modlös – og saa venter
min kone "smaafolk" en af dagene – og "ingen
veed hvor haren gaar"; – jeg slipper derfor neppe
afsted för jùl; – jeg arbeider ellers flittig med
træsnittene om dagene – jeg faar lave saa mange, at De
har noget at vælge iblandt, – men det mörke veir
hindrer mig. De var saa elskværdig at nævne noget
om vin – jeg vil; (i-anledning min kones ventede ned-
komst) – tage imod Deres mere end venlige tilbùd, hvis
jeg kan faa lov at betale igjen med tegninger, træsnit
eller lignende arbeider i mindre maalestok; – min kone
vil have godt af lidt vin ùnder slige "omstændigheder".
Med tak for pengene og Deres venlighed er jeg Deres forbùndne
Translation
Dear Mr. Meyer!
Thank you for the money, which I have just now
received. At the same time I also received a letter
from You – a letter that was sent later; – the
mail service here is poor now during the winter, –
and I have understood, that a number of things have been lost
– it thus appears that a jar of varnish has
gone astray, if You have not received it yet –
for I sent it with the first post following the
dispatch of the pictures. I shall in the event
that it does not arrive – send
a new one – this is my last one incidentally – but I
hope, now that the war is over, that we will be able to receive
wares from France once more, – but that might take
some time.
You mention various things about the pictures, that You
are not quite clear about: – with regard to "the little one" –
what, – stands in the furrow by the embankment – are a few alder
sprouts – (from a felled alder tree) – perhaps I
have not given enough attention to the narrative
aspect in this little sketch; what You think resembles
a flower pot, – is the stump of a felled alder, –
from which new shoots develop in the spring; – I should
have perhaps wiped it out; – I included it, because I felt
at the time that it belonged to the nocturnal spring mystique,
as a "tender" and at the same time "resolute" tone;
which simultaneously spoke of life’s "imperishableness"
in the spring: – the old trunk that bleeds
because the axe has cut through its sap-filled veins, – while the new
shoots that spring from its roots ensures that the old life doesn’t die out.
II
I was reminded of something Björnson wrote: "– one cannot
suppress the shoots in spring – wherever there are forces germinating
the sprouting of spring soon follows". – Well this has become excessively
literary, – I merely thought of this
(as with any sketch) as a "brief note" – a painter
must make "note" of his ideas, just as
a writer does, – and my intention then was to clarify
this in a larger picture, which was merely "noted"
in the sketch. – I shall, if You wish either
wipe it out – or clarify the narrative aspect
(by making the alder stump – more obvious perhaps?)
As for the large picture, – I remembered
that You mentioned something about, how the spruce might
perhaps be "developed" more – I attempted to do that, but found,
that it would easily destroy the <purely> "painterly"
appearance, – I nevertheless allowed it to remain a bit more developed than
when You saw the picture here – but this treatment
has had other consequences, – it required, that the little "apple tree"
in the foreground on the right had to be developed more: – if I were
to develop it realistically, – it would be
ugly; – for it was in reality an old cripple,
that had been eaten up by the goats
and cows, (I have a realistic sketch of it); I
was thus obliged to take a middle ground – and stylised it
a little. Something similar applied to the bird cherry
You asked me, if I might develop it a little more, –
(it appeared more as masses of white before), – and I then divided these
up into details suggesting flowers; – this bird cherry was,
what we call a "hægge-nave" [bird cherry pollard] here – a bird cherry, whose
crown is chopped off in winter as fodder for the goats; – a few
"living branches" are allowed to remain, so that it won’t
III
die out completely; – these few branches on the old
tree often have more abundant flowers
than on any "unpruned" trees, it might even
seem "furry" from the surplus of energy
– it only has a few young branches to
pour all of its old energy into; – it’s possible
I have not managed to depict this
well, – if at a later date I find that I might
be better able to do this using other means,
I would be grateful for permission to rectify
this or paint over it – (obviously without any extra
expense to You) – I have several sketches and studies
of this tree, – incidentally it stood closer to the
house with its branches, – than I have painted it – (perhaps
that might have been more fortunate after all?)
But that is neither "here nor there".
Please forgive the poor paper and handwriting.
Well, every day I think about making a trip in to Bergen, but
my choking seizures cause me to become discouraged – and then
my wife is expecting "a little one" any day now – and "you never know
what to expect"; – Therefore it is not likely that I will be able
to get away before Christmas; – Otherwise I am working diligently on
the woodcuts these days – I am making enough, so that You
have something to choose between, – but the gloomy weather
impedes me. It was kind of You to mention something
about wine – I will; (in view of my wife’s imminent child-
birth) – accept Your more than kind offer, if
I am permitted to reimburse You with drawings, woodcuts
or similar works on a smaller scale; – my wife
will benefit from a little wine under such "circumstances".
With gratitude for the money and Your kindness I am Yours sincerely