Letter

Astrup, Nikolai to Lund, Gunbjør; Lund, Henrik
1908-06-25

Transcription:

Tor Martin Leknes

Translation:

Francesca Nichols

Page

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

Letter

Astrup, Nikolai to Lund, Gunbjør; Lund, Henrik
1908-06-25
Ms.fol.3578-66509, Nasjonalbiblioteket

4 Pages

Transcription: Tor Martin Leknes

Translation: Francesca Nichols

Transcription

Aalhús 25de juni 08

Opp ned tekst øverst:

Kjære Lúnd! Dette brev havde jeg sendt dig fór over to maaneder

siden og fik det nylig tilbagesendt – det havde været bekjendt

gjort, men adresaten var ikke fúnden – jeg havde addresseret det

"Solstrand – Vos". Jeg sender det nú for at dú kan se, at jeg gjerne

vilde have vedligeholdt korre-

spondencen. Din hengivne ven

Nikolai Astrup

Kjære Lúnd og frúe

Mange tak for Eders venlige brev. Det

glæder mig at höre at I ligger paa Sol-

strand og nyter sommeren – dú maler

vel flittig som sedvanligt. Det gaar daar-

ligt med min maling. Det er gaaet

nú som sidst, jeg holdt udstilling, at

jeg föler mig rent "úbegavet", naar jeg kom-

mer hjem igjen og skal begynde at male

paa nyt; baade haanden og öiet er úsikkre

– det er til at blive i daarligt húmör

over – ikke for det – jeg tror man kan have

godt af at komme lidt ud af concep-

terne en gang i mellem. – I maa være

saa venlig at hilse Hr. Schetelich med frúe og

söster fra mig – det skulde være meget mor-

somt at træffes med dere alle i London, 

men jeg kan nok være temmelig sikker paa ikke

at faa Henrichsens legat igjen i aar; thi det er

afgjort for længe siden – hvem der har faaet

det, veed ikke jeg – mig er det i allefald

ikke; thi da havde jeg længst faaet under-

retning derom. Forresten har de únge

kúnstnere i Kristiania sörget for at

sætte mig i ondt rygte – historien om

at jeg skúlde have ligget paa Vasenden ho-

tel og drúkket op stipendiet – skriver sig fra

Laúreng, thi han havde fortalt denne

historie allerede i fjor höst – længe förend jeg

havde faaet stipendiet udbetalt – men han

troede formodentlig, at jeg allerede havde faaet

det udbetalt den gang – og han havde tilföiet

at han skulde nok vide at fortælle dette til

de, som havde med stipendiet at gjöre.

Mit haab havde nú været at faa reise en túr til

det "forjættede" Italien, saa snart stipendiet med de

1800. kr. blev mig meddelt, men isaafald maatte

jeg havt underretning derom medens jeg var i Bergen

eller senest nú i júni. Jeg skúlde finde mig i 

at jeg nú ikke fik stipendiet igjen, hvis dú, Frost,

eller Wik (Robert) havde faaet det, men det er

natúrligvis en af disse sladderagtige Kristiania-

malerne, som har faaet det.

  I gaarnat var her St. Hansbaal rúndt fjeldene,

menneskerne myldrede sorte op over fjeldsiderne,

de hvide skjorteærmer ringed sig som lyse prikker og

gnister om blússene. Jeg kúnde ikke male denne

úrstemning, som er over St. Hansnatten, för, og jeg kan

det endnú mindre nú, siden jeg blev gift – den skin-

syge gústne lúe, som ikke lyser i sommernatten,

romantikken og mystikken, alt kjendte jeg igjen

fra de gamle stemninger – de angaar mig bare ikke selv

saa personligt nú som för, da jeg ikke fik fred for

dem, för jeg hadde forsögt at male det hele. 

Men saa er det alligevel únderligt at föle 

et gjenskin af sine förste Jonsokbaal; og den osen

osende fortærende indebrændte brúnst – fra de

únge aar – kan man endnú kjende i blodet. –

  Jeg skúlde önske jeg kúnde havt anledning

til at være sammen med dig en tid, jeg föler at

jeg har vanskeligt for at beherske de rent ma-

leriske midler – det maleriske sprog, det jeg vil

gjöre blir let for litherært – jeg búrde kanske været

forfatter, men dertil manglede jeg igjen sprogöre

og kúltur nok. Feilen hos mig som hos andre

er, at man ikke stoler blindt paa sit instinkt,

thi selv om man en og anden gang giver sig fanden

i vold og rigtig slipper sig lös, – saa blir resúltatet

altformeget mærket af opositionstrangen, det 

er den som raader ikke instinktet. Men det skúlde

være morsomt at gjöre, hvad vi engang talte om, –

nemlig at reise til Sydhavsöerne eller et andet

úkultiveret sted og ligge i ro forat faa fölge

sine instinkter, úden at maatte brúge det tvúng-

ne opositions-system for at lösrive sig – thi da

sidder man faktisk bare og tænker paa alt det man

synes er daarligt i kúnst, – selv om man holder det

op for sig selv som det stik modsatte af det, man vil.

At have tingen for sig som kontrast er næsten lige

saa galt, som at have tingen for sig som forbillede.

Formegen antipathi er lige saa megen búndethed

som formegen sympathi. Ja úndskyld mig alt dette

slúdder kjære ven. Dú maa være saa snild at skrive

nogle ord til mig ved tid og leilighed. Hils din kone

og de andre fra Eders Astrup. Min kone beder mig hilse din

med tak for hilsenen. D.S.

Translation

Aalhús 25th June 08

Upside down text at top:

Dear Lúnd! I had sent this letter to you over two months

ago and received it in return recently – it had been

announced, but the addressee was not found – I had addressed it to

"Solstrand – Vos". I send it now so that you can see, that I wished

to keep up our corres-

pondence. Your devoted friend

Nikolai Astrup

Dear Lúnd and Mrs.

Many thanks for Your kind letter. It

pleases me to hear that You are staying at Sol-

strand and enjoying the summer – you are most likely

painting diligently as usual. My painting-

ing is going poorly. The same thing is

happening now as the last time that I had an exhibition,

I feel as though I absolutely "lack talent", when I re-

turn home and shall begin to paint

again; both my hand and my eye are unsure

– it is enough to put one in a bad

humour – it’s not that – I believe that one can 

benefit from losing one’s bearings

every now and then. – Please be so

so kind as to greet Mr. Schetelich and his wife and

sister from me – it would be quite fun

to meet all of you in London, 

but I can be quite sure not

to receive the Henrichsen endowment again this year; for it has

long since been decided – I do not know,

who has received it – it is not I any-

way; for in that case I would have been in-

formed of it long ago. By the way the young

painters in Kristiania [Oslo] have made sure to 

spread nasty rumours about me – the story about

how I supposedly stayed at Vasenden ho-

tel and drank up the stipend – comes from

Laúreng, for he had already fabricated this

story last fall – long before I

had been paid out the stipend – but he 

presumably believed that I had already

received the money by that time – and he had added

that he had every intention of relating this to 

the individuals, who were involved with the stipend.

My hope had now been to make a trip to

the "promised [land]" Italy, as soon as the stipend consisting of

1800. kroner was allocated to me, but in that case

I would have had to receive notice while I was [still] in Bergen

or at the latest now in June. I would be able to accept the fact

that I did not receive the stipend again, if you, Frost,

or Wik (Robert) had gotten it, but it is

naturally one of those tattletale Kristiania

painters who has received it.

  Last night there were Midsummer bonfires in the mountains,

the people teemed in black across the mountain slopes,

their white shirt sleeves in rings like light dots and

sparks encircling the blazing fires. I could not paint this

primal atmosphere that suffuses Midsummer night, before, and I can

even less so now, since I married – that jeal-

ous blaze, that does not light up in the summer night,

the romantic and mystical atmosphere, I felt everything again

of the old moods – it just does not affect me

as personally now as before, when I could not free myself

from them, before I had attempted to paint it all.

And yet it is nonetheless strange to feel

the glow from one’s first Midsummer bonfires, and the steam

steamy consuming smouldering eroticism – of the

early years – one can still feel it in the blood. –

  I wish that I could have the opportunity

to spend some time with you, I feel that

I am struggling to master the purely paint-

erly techniques – the painterly language, what I wish

to do often becomes too literary – perhaps I should have been

a writer, but for that I lacked an ear for language

and sufficient culture. The problem with me as with others

is that one does not rely blindly on one’s instinct,

for even when one now and again adopts a devil-may-care attitude

and really throws all caution to the wind, – the result will

be excessively marked by a conflicting compulsion, that  

is what controls us, not instinct. But it would 

be amusing to do, what we once spoke of, – 

that is, to travel to the South Sea islands or some other

uncultivated place and live tranquilly in order to follow

our instincts, without having to make use of the compul-

sive conflicting system in order to liberate oneself – because then

one in fact only sits there focusing on everything that one

thinks is bad in art, – even if one has 

an image of it as the opposite of what one wishes.

To imagine the thing as contrast is almost as

bad as to imagine the thing as an ideal.

Excessive antipathy is just as constraining

as excessive sympathy. Well forgive me all this

gibberish dear friend. Please be so kind as to write

a few words to me when time and opportunity permit. Greetings to your wife

and the others from Your Astrup. My wife asks me to say hello to yours

thanking [her] for the greeting. D.S.