Letter

Astrup, Nikolai to Meyer, Hans Jacob
1918-06-12

Transcription:

Tor Martin Leknes

Page

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

Letter

Astrup, Nikolai to Meyer, Hans Jacob
1918-06-12
Brevs.295-66521, Nasjonalbiblioteket

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

Nikolai Astrup

Konvolutt, framside:

Til Hr. Capt. H. J. Meyer

Vetrlidsalmenning 27

Bergen

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

Nikolai Astrup

Envelope, front:

To Captain H. J. Meyer

Vetrlidsalmenning 27

Bergen