Letter

Astrup, Nikolai to Høst, Isabella
1918-04-03

Transcription:

Tor Martin Leknes

Translation:

Francesca Nichols

Page

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

Letter

Astrup, Nikolai to Høst, Isabella
1918-04-03
Brevs.531-66478, Nasjonalbiblioteket

4 Pages

Transcription: Tor Martin Leknes

Translation: Francesca Nichols

Transcription

Sandalstrand 3/4 1918

Kjære frù Höst!

Kùn nogle ord i all hast, da posten

er ventedes hvert öieblik. Jeg sender

idag nogle tryk til Dem – det skal være

alle de som De mangler, tror jeg – er der

mod formodning flere, De mangler – saa

maa De sige fra – De har jo nù betalt

for dem og mange tryk til, – naar jeg faar

lovet flere tryk af nye træsnit, skal

jeg sende Dem af de förste trykkene til valg. 

Jeg har været daarlig og nervös, siden jeg kom

hjem – jeg er derfor bange for at disse tryk

ikke – trods megen ùmag – er saa gode, som de

bùrde være til Dem –

Jeg sender et nyt tryk af "Kverngang" (De kan

gjerne sætte en bedre tittel paa om De synes) – – jeg

tænkte mig muligheden af, at De kanske ikke

var helt fornöiet med nogen af de 3 forrige,

som jeg sendte Dem til valg, – skùlde De finde

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dette bedre kan De jo bytte, – hvis ikke kan

kanske dette gaa ind i en af de 2 serier, som De talte

om. 

     Nù kommer jeg nok til at plage Dem, som

saa ofte för: jeg lovede Ravensberg et tryk

af hver af illùstrationerne, som jeg har lavet til

H.E. Kinck. – Nù trykte jeg to af hvert træsnit af

disse illùstrationer i den tanke, at De mùligens

kùnde bryde Dem om at have et exempl. af hvert,

De behöver jo ikke at spendere væggeplads paa dem, –

men jeg tænkte, at De kanske kùnde have interresse

af at have en complet samling af alt det, jeg har

prodùceret i træsnit; – nù vilde jeg lade Dem

vælge blandt disse illustrationerne – og tænkte

derfor, at De kanske kùnde faa overbragt til

Ravensberg de, som De ikke valgte – Ravensberg

behöver jo ikke at vide noget om, at De har valgt

ùd först; – af "Bygdetyvens död" sender jeg kùn

et, da jeg vidste, at De havde det för, – skulde De

imidlertid synes bedre om dette, kan De bytte.

Det blir vel neppe andre, som kommer til at have

disse tryk – (ùden Kinck, som jeg har tænkt at

trykke en serie til, naar jeg faar bedre tid). 

Af "Jùlenatten" sender jeg Dem en tryk i farver, om

De bryder Dem om den, – den blir vistnok et ùnicùm,

da de plader, jeg har lavet til nù siden, var af raat

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træ og har vùndet sig slig ùnder törringen, at de

vistnok ikke kan bruges mere ùden store vanskeligheter.

"Rakler" har jeg gjort flere forsög med at trykke

paa grönt papir, som jeg har farvet grönt men det er

som De ser ùmùlig, at opnaa det samme, som

paa "grönt papir"; – den tryk jeg sender er vel

ikke god nok til en af de to serier – kanske

de to helst bör være blaa?

Af fiskeren sender jeg Dem kùn et exemplar,

da jeg ikke tror der er nævneværdig forskjel

paa de forskjellige tryk, – den er lett at trykke

og lett at faa lig de andre tryk, – liker De den

bedre ùden den röde tone, saa skal jeg straks

sende en i bare sort og hvidt, – men jeg forstod

Dem saa sidst, at De likte bedst den med den

rödlige tone, – (den farve er for mit indre öie

noget af lùften ved havet eller sjöstranden).

Saa har jeg lavet et nyt træsnit af kornstaur,

– de 3 tryk, jeg sender, er nærmest prövetryk,

da pladerne ikke er ganske færdige, men det

blir omtrent ùforandret, som det er nù, – jeg veed

ikke om det er bedre eller daarligere end det

"lille" kornstaur, – men dette lille er begyndt at blive

saa fuldt af maling og sprækker, – det var

mit förste forsög i træsnit, – (det og lidet selv-

portræt var ùdfört hösten 1904 – og jeg var bare

24 aar og meget ùvidende om træsnittets

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teknik; de var skaaret i tynde plader af dem, som

gùtter bruger til lövsagsarbeide, – derfor har det

altid kostet mig möie at faa gode tryk af "lidet

kornstaùr" – det "store" kornstaùr er meget let at

trykke, naar jeg nù faar skaaret væk alt overflödigt

træ. Naar jeg sender 3 tryk, var det i haab om, at

De vilde tage imod det ene som afbetaling paa, hvad

jeg skylder Dem, – og de andre to kunde kanske

gaa ind i "de 2 serier"; – (hvis træsnittet imidlertid

blir bedre skal jeg sende nye). Jeg synes bedst om 

det tryk, som er trykt paa det tynde halvklare

papir, – men det bör have graa pap til ùnderlag. 

"Vaarnat og seljekall" er jeg enig med Dem i, at det

ikke er noget heldigt træsnit, – jeg sender 4

tryk, men de er vel alle lige daarlige, synes De

vel, – det er et motiv, som maa males – egner sig vist

ikke for træsnit; – det ene af trykkene er trykt uden

sidste plade – Engel syntes det var bedst slig, – det er

jo adskillig anderledes end de andre, og önsker De at

at beholde det og en af de andre ogsaa, er det mig

en glæde. "Bonde" har jeg desværre ödelagt – heldigvis

havde jeg en prövetryk – som sendes – men den er ikke

helt god – skal forsöge engang at male bonden, som er ùde

i den graalyse sommernat og "lùrer paa veiret". Ja dette blev

et hastværks brev. – Her gaar det sent med vaaren, sneen

ligger rùndt hùsene med bare flekker som vokser for dagen.

Börnene er friske og springer ùde hele dagen. Og jeg maa til at

bryde op den lovbefalte jord til ager. Med de hjerteligste hilsener

fra Engel og mig til Dem og familie – Deres hengivne Astrup

Translation

Sandalstrand 3/4 1918

Dear Mrs. Höst!

Just a few words in haste, as the postal service

is expected any second. I am sending

a few prints to You today – they should be

all of those You are missing, I believe – if contrary

to expectation there are more, that You are lacking – then 

You must say so – for You have paid

for them and many more prints, – when I have

made more prints of new woodcuts, I shall

send You some of the first prints for selecting.

I have been poorly and nervous, since I returned

home – I am therefore afraid that these prints

are not – despite great exertion – as good, as they should be for You –

I am sending a new print of "The Milling Weather" (You can

give it a better title if You wish) – – I

thought of the possibility, that You might

not be completely satisfied with some of the last 3,

which I sent You to select from, – should You find

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this one better You can switch them, – if not then 

perhaps this one can be included in one of the 2 series, that You spoke

of.

     Now I am going to trouble You, as 

so often before: I promised Ravensberg a print

of each of the illustrations, that I have made for

H.E. Kinck. – I have now printed two of each of these

woodcut illustrations with the idea, that You might

consider having an example of each,

You need not sacrifice wall space for them, –

but I thought, that You might perhaps be interested

in having a complete collection of everything, that I have

produced in woodcut; I thought You might

choose among these illustrations – and I therefore

thought, that You might perhaps then forward to

Ravensberg the ones, that You did not choose – Ravensberg

does not need to know, that You have chosen

first; – of "The Death of the Village Thief" I am sending only

one, as I knew, that You already had it, – should You

on the other hand like this one better, You can switch them.

It is not likely that others will want to have 

these prints – (other than Kinck, for whom I plan to

print a series, when I have more time).

 Of "Christmas Eve" I am sending You a print in colour, in case 

You like it, – it will most likely be one of a kind,

as the blocks, I have made until now, were of raw 

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wood and became warped in such a way while drying, that they

evidently cannot be used any more without great difficulties.

"Catkins" I have made several attempts to print

on green paper, which I have coloured green but as 

You see it is impossible, to achieve the same [result], as

on "green paper"; – the print that I am sending is perhaps

not good enough for one of the two series – perhaps 

these two should rather be blue?

Of the fisherman I am sending You only one example,

as I don’t think there is any significant difference

between the different prints, – it is easy to print

and easy to make similar to the other prints, – if You like it

better without the red hue, I will immediately

send one in black and white only, – but I understood

last we spoke, that You preferred the one with the

reddish tone, – (that colour is to my inner eye

similar to the air by the ocean or seashore).

I have also made a new woodcut of stook,

– the 3 prints, I am sending are more like trial proofs,

as the woodblock is not quite completed, but it

will be fairly unaltered, from how it is now, – I don’t 

know if it is better or worse than the

"small" stook, – but theis small one has become

so full of paint and cracks, – it was

my first attempt at woodcut, – (it and a little self-

portrait were executed in autumn 1904 – and I was only

24 years old and ignorant about the woodcut

IIII

technique; they were carved out of thin boards, the kind

boys use for jigsaw work, – that’s why

it has always been arduous for me to achieve good prints out of "small

stook" – the "large" stook is very easy to 

print, now that I can carve out all the superfluous

wood. When I send 3 prints, it is in the hope, that

You will accept one of them as an instalment on what

I owe You, – and the other two might perhaps

be included in "the 2 series"; – (however, if the woodcut

is improved I will send new ones). I prefer 

the print that is printed on the thin semi-clear

paper, – but it should be mounted on a grey board. 

"Spring Night and Sallow" I agree with You is

not a very good woodcut, – I am sending 4 

prints, but they are all as poor, You might well

think, – it is a motif that should be painted – not quite suitable

for woodcut; – one of the prints is printed without the

final block – Engel thought it was best like this, – it is

admittedly quite different than the others, and if You wish

to keep it and one of the others as well, it would be

my pleasure. "The Farmer" I have unfortunately destroyed – luckily

I had a trial proofs – which is being sent – however it is not

very good – will attempt one day to paint the farmer, who is out

in the grey light of a summer night "sniffing the weather". Well this was

a rushed letter. – Spring is late in arriving here, the snow

still lies around the houses with only patches that grow by the day.

The children are in good health and run around outdoors all day long. And I must

plough the regulated land into arable fields. With warmest wishes

from Engel and me to You and Your family – Your devoted Astrup