Letter

Astrup, Nikolai to Aslaksen, Edvard Waldemar
1908-10-10

Transcription:

Tove Kårstad Haugsbø

Translation:

Francesca Nichols

Page

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Transcription
Translation

Letter

Astrup, Nikolai to Aslaksen, Edvard Waldemar
1908-10-10
Brevs.295-331567, Nasjonalbiblioteket

21 Pages

Transcription: Tove Kårstad Haugsbø

Translation: Francesca Nichols

Transcription

Kjære Hr. Aslaksen!

I det jeg takker Dem for den ven-

lighed, De viste mig ved at laane

mig den lille skisse, som De havde

kjöbt af mig, saa tör jeg samtidig

bede Dem ùndskylde, at jeg tillader mig

at skrive til Dem tiltrods for, at jeg er

Dem personlig ùbekjendt 

Men det har længe været mig en

trang at skrive til Dem og takke Dem

for Deres hjærtelige brev, som De sendte

mig nù i vaar, da jeg var i London. 

Det har gjort mig godt mange gange

at læse Deres brev igjennem, naar

jeg har været træt og lei af hele "kùnsten". 

Naar jeg har tænkt at "give op" – har 

det været en stor tröst at se, at der

virkelig findes mennesker, som man

har kunnet glæde med sin kùnst. 

Hvor det kan gjöre godt lige

ind i sjælen at træffe paa

et menneske, der vil sige et

godt ord om en, naar man ellers

kùn hörer, at man er gjenstand

for lögn, bagvaskelse og misùndelse

af sine ondskabsfulde med-

mennesker. 

Jeg har sögt at faa ùdtrykt

noget af den naturfölelse, som 

kommer over en, naar man færdes i 

Jölsternaturen – denne òs og 

mùlddamp af gammelt hedenskab

og ùr-religion – denne sagnrike 

jord – disse ofte raa farver

har mere værd for min kunst end

bare som, object for mine billeder. 

Og det er det min mening, at moti-

verne skùlde have for alle malere

– at de med andre ord skùlde 

være mere jordbùndne – da vilde de

ogsaa blive mere fri for daarlig paa-

virkning af fremmed kunst. 

Jeg er kanske en af de mest sted- og 

jordbùndne malere i landet – og har sat

min ære i at være upaavirket af alle

retninger i kùnsten – men ikke desto 

mindre blir jeg beskyldt for at være 

paavirket af Egidiùs i et billede som

"St. Hansnat" – et billede som jeg

havde malet længe för jeg havde seet

noget af Egidiùs. 

Og nù efterat jeg har seet omtrent

alt hvad Egidiùs har gjort, kan jeg

ikke finde et eneste billede af Egidiùs

som har end den fjerneste lighed med

mit billede "St. Hansnat". Egidiùs

var jordbunden ligesom jeg, nogen anden

lighed findes der ikke mellem os. 

De nævner mit billede "St. Hansnat"

som det, De erindrer bedst fra min ùd-

stilling, og som De vilde have kjöbt – jeg

                                      III                          

tale mit billede – kan jeg – (forat vise Dem

at De ikke har taget feil af billedets kùnstneriske 

værd) – fortælle Dem, at det nye galleri, som 

skal oprettes i Bergen har sögt at formaa

mig til at kjöbe igjen det billede samt 3

andre af mine ældre billeder for saa at

sælge dem til dette galleri, men da jeg

nodig vilde være handelsmand og tjene paa

at kjöbe og sælge igjen tidligere solgte billeder, 

saa har jeg givet galleriet adressen paa

billedernes eiere og bedt galleriets opretter

om selv at henvende sig til eierne. Det

ene af billederne er nù erhvervet til galleriet 

for den firdobbelte pris af hvad jeg solgte det

for. –

Billedet St.Hansnat var egentlig kùn tænkt

som en stùdie – naar jeg fik bedre farver vilde

jeg male det omigjen i et större billede; jeg

malede samtidig ogsaa en anden stùdie, som

jeg tænkte at brùge til samme motiv, den

har endnù ikke været udstillet, da jeg

har været bange for at alle vilde finde

den for naiv og samtidig for raa og barbarisk – 

– selv er jeg nettop glad i den paa grùnd af

disse egenskaber; jentùngen er ikke med 

der, men mystikken og den hedenske stem-

ning over figùrerne om ilden er kanske endnù

sterkere her end i St. Hansbilledet. 

Kommer jeg til Christiania oftere, og jeg træffer

Dem skal det være mig en fornöielse at 

forære Dem denne stùdie, hvis De kùnde

like den. Jeg skal i allefald testamentere

Dem denne stùdie; thi det kan af mange

grùnde hænde at jeg aldrig oftere kommer

til at ùdstille i Christiania. 

Jeg har nemlig ödelagt min helbred först

ved at gaa nogle aar i Christiania og sùlte

og fryse mig næsten ihjæl, medens jeg stùderede, 

dernæst ved at ligge ude her i fjeldene og

male i alskens veir, saa at jeg tilslùt

paadrog mig en tuberkùlose, der dog standsede

efter nogle aars forlöb og overlod mig lidt

af mine lùnger i behold – saa at jeg de sidste

aar har kùnnet arbeide lidt, omendskjöndt

jeg er bleven sterkt hindret i mit arbeide af

mit svage bryst og den stadige aandenöd

og kvælningsanfald. Jeg kan derfor ikke gjöre

regning paa at have mange aar at leve i. 

Jeg var nù i vaar bleven meget friskere og

doktoren mente jeg kunde blive helt frisk igjen; 

men i det sidste har min helbred forværret sig

– dertil har ökonomiske og kùnstneriske sorger og

bekymringer bidraget meget – samt nogle

misùndelige og ùtaknemlinge venners ondskabsfùlde

og helt lögnagtige sladderhistorier om mig. 

Jeg var, som De veed, i London i vinter med

stipendium af Henrichsens legat, og jeg glædede

mig til at kunne faa stùdere helt iro en tid

i ùdlandet – men da jeg havde en kone at 

ùnderholde og lidt gjæld som jeg krævedes haardt

for – og da jeg ikke syntes det var ret at brùge

af stipendiet at dække disse utgifter med,

saa holdt jeg en udstilling i Bergen i vaar og 

solgte der, hvad jeg havde af billeder til spott-

priser (deriblandt mange gode billeder) – og jeg fik 

derved all min gjæld betalt og saa meget til-

overs, at min kone kùnne leve deraf ½ aar

medens jeg var i ùdlandet. Jeg glædede mig nù

til, at jeg skùlde faa stùdere en tid i ùdlandet

i fred for gjældskrav og ökonomiske sorger og tog

mig derfor en snartùr til Bergen baade for at

faa se min egen udstilling og for i hast at ordne

mine private udgifsposter i anledning ùdstillingen

som jeg maatte lade andre besörge med rammer

afhentning o.s.v. medens jeg var i ùdlandet – og min

tanke var da straks at vende tilbage til London, 

hvor jeg havde nogle paabegyndte arbeider. 

Men jeg fik ikke bruge min retoùrbillet; thi 

stipendiet blev mig imidlertid frataget ùden

at der blev givet mig nogen grùnd derfor. 

Jeg gik hele mai og jùni og ventede forgjæves

paa svar fra legatbestyrelsen om hvorhvidt jeg fik legatet igjen og endelig fik jeg

tilslùt gjennem nogle bedre stillede slegtninge

i Christiania höre tvetydige ùdtalelser om at:

mit "private liv" skùlde være af den beskaf-

fenhed, at jeg ikke kùnne tilstaaes stipendiet

saa længe som andre. 

Jeg har nù gaaet og ærgret mig syg over

dette og stùderet og spekùleret paa, hvad jeg

skal gjöre – og forhört mig baade vidt og bredt

om, hvorledes man har kùnnet faa et sligt

lögnagtigt rygte i stand – og hvori mit

"private livs" udskeielser skùlde bestaa – jeg 

synes jeg har fört et saa skikkeligt liv, 

som det kan fordres af noget menneske – 

– jeg giftede mig rigtignok ifjor med en 

lidt vel ùng pige – hùn var 15 aar, men 

jeg synes ikke dette kùnde være i den grad

ùmoralskt, at jeg derfor skùlde nægtes at

faa mit stipendiùm saa længe som andre. 

Jeg stod i det "norske totalistforbùnd" baade

för og efter at stipendiet blev mig tilstaaet, 

og i hele den tid jeg var i ùdlandet – nöd jeg – 

– siger og skriver et eneste glas spiritùosa – 

og det var i et sygdomstilfælde. Jeg har skrevet

og forespurgt flere af mine kjendinger i Christi-

ania, og de veed kùn at bekræfte, at der gaar

det rygte at "mit private liv", er saa slet

at stipendiet maatte fratages mig. 

Det er jo ærgerligt saaledes baade at blive

sat paa bar bakke efter at have gjort

sit yderste for at faa dækket sin gjæld

og paa et tidspùnkt, da man er afskaaret

fra at söge noget andet stipendiùm – 

havde jeg enda faaet ùnderretning om fratagelsen

i tide kùnde jeg sögt et andet stipen-

diùm – Werenskiold sagde ifjor, at jeg stod

som nr. I til Statens stipendiùm; men da

jeg samtidig allerede var indstillet som

nr. I til Henrichsens legat – saa blev selv-

fölgelig statens stupendiùm givet til en anden. 

Det var da meget bedre, om jeg slet ikke

havde faaet Henrichsens legat – naar det atter

skùlde fratages mig förend den sedvanlige tid

var ùde; – thi havde jeg ikke stolet paa

at jeg nù havde Henrichsens legat, saa havde

jeg selvfölgelig sögt et andet stipendiùm

enten Hoùens eller Statens, og jeg havde da

faaet en af disse; – thi jeg stod for tùr til 

at faa en af dem – nù derimod fik jeg ikke

engang ùnderretning om at stipendiet var mig

frataget – og fandt saaledes ikke paa at söge 

noget andet i tide – og da jeg endelig ad privat 

vei fik vide af, at en anden var indstillet

til mit stipendiùm – ja saa var ogsaa 

de andre stipendier bortgivne paa 2 aar. 

Saa nù kan jeg altsaa ikke faa noget stipen-

diùm paa 2 aar. 

Men det ærgerligste af det hele er at

man ogsaa skal faa sit gode navn og rygte

ùdskjæmt ùden grùnd, saa at man

endog skal faa ùfortjente irettesættelser af sine

slegtninge; thi alskens lögnagtige historier

verserer nù om mig i Christiania – blandt 

andre en om at jeg skulde ligge paa et 

(navngivet) hotel med en elskerinde og

brùge mit op stipendiùm saaledes i sùs og dùs. 

Jeg boede rigtignok i 3 dage med min kone

paa et hotel (det samme navngivne hotel), som 

hverken havde öl- eller vin-ret end sige

brændvinsræt. Vi spiste 2 maaltider pr. dag

og smagte ingen drikkevarer – (som heller ikke

var at faa) – saa der var ingen overdaadighed. 

Jeg har aldrig hverken för eller senere boet

paa samme hotel – og dengang jeg ifjor

böete boede der de 3 dage havde jeg endnù

ikke faaet en öre af stipendiet. Jeg har

overhovedet ikke boet paa noget andet hotel i de

sidste 4 aar end ùndtagen paa Missionshotellet i Bergen, 

og der faar man som bekjendt ingen slags

spiritùöse drikke, ja man har endog strengt

forbùd mod at medtage denslags indenfor hotellet

hotellets vægge. Hvad angaar historien om den 

"elskerinde" jeg skùlde havt med mig – saa kan

det nok tænkes at hendes min kones ùnge alder kan 

have givet anledning til "snak", saa at en eller

anden har troet, at hùn ikke var min kone, 

men en elskerinde som fulgte med mig, og at

                                 V

der saaledes er opstaaet en historie. 

Forresten har jeg ogsaa faaet vide, at to

ùnge malere, som har været mine gode

venner, som jeg ofte har laant eller rettere

givet penge – den ene endog flere hùndrede

kroner – disse 2 venner, som har boet

hos mig gratis i Jölster, – den ene endog

aaret rùndt i flere aar – disse to skal

som tak derfor have gjort sig end enige om

at lave en skandalhistorie om mig – 

"at jeg skùlde brùge mit stipendiùm paa

et hotel og sætte det over styr der o.s.v.

(antagelig paa grùndlag af ovennævnte historie)

Den ene af disse to har været ùforsigtig 

nok til at fortælle denne historie til en

anden af mine venner, og han tilföiede

samtidig, at han vilde benytte sig af

denne historie – paa höiere hold – og derved

hindre mig fra at faa anden del av stipen-

diet – og NB. – dette sagde han förend

jeg endnù havde faaet en öre af legatet;

thi dette blev mig först ùdbetalt, da jeg kom

til Bergen for at reise til ùdlandet. 

Ingen af disse mine forhenværende venner

fik noget godt af sin lögnagtige sladderhistorie

– stakkars folk, de fik ikke stipendiet – derimod

blev dette givet til en, hvis "private liv" er

saa offentlig kjendt, at man nok kùnde hake

sig ved det, om man vilde, men han er en god

kunstner, og jeg har derfor intet ondt öie til

ham for at han fik mit stipendiùm. 

Men jeg er lei af disse ùnge Christianiamalerne, som

ikke gjör stort andet end at skùle til hinanden

og være syge af misùndelse, hver gang en faar 

et stipendiùm, og da de til stadighed bor i Christi-

ania, har de god anledning at sidde paa "Grand"

og lave lögnagtige sladderhistorier. 

Jeg er lei af dem – og derfor har jeg bestemt

mig til aldrig at gaa dem iveien oftere. – 

Jeg "streiker" herefter og udstiller ikke i 

Christiania – da reiser jeg heller som sim-

pel arbeider ned i en af kobbergrùberne 

her paa vestlandet og sliter alt det mit

daarlige bryst taaler, saa at min stakkars

lille kone ikke skal sùlte den tid, jeg er

i live. 

Man skal ikke med nogen ret kùnne beskylde

mig for at have brùgt mit stipendiùm til andet

end mine stùdier; – af sparsommelighedshensyn

lod jeg endog min kone være igjen oppe i en fjeldbygd, 

hvor hùn kunde leve billigt, medens jeg var i udlandet. 

Jeg kan skaffe bevidnelser fra samme hotel, hvor-

fra skandalhistorien skùlde være opstaaet og fra

stedets prest, kirkesanger, lærer, postaabner og 

hvem man vil af troværdige mænd – om, at der

intet har været at udsætte paa mit private liv

Jeg havde forresten aldrig troet at Christiania ma-

gistrat – eller hvem det nù er som har med

legatùddelingen at gjöre – tog hensyn til alskens

lögnagtige sladderhanke og deres historier – ùden at

ùndersöge sagen nöiere. 

Hvis De nù har havt taalmodighed til at 

gjennemlæse mine skriverier, maa jeg takke

Dem derfor og bede Dem undskylde, at jeg har valgt

Dem som modtager tilhörer for mine jeremiader. Hvis De

skùlde have havt anledning til at höre noget

om disse historier angaaende mit private liv, 

vilde jeg være Dem meget taknemlig, om De vilde

sende mig nogle linier derom. 

For min families skyld og for mit gode navn

og rygtes skyld har jeg tænkt at söge retslig

bistand, for at jeg iallefald kan faa dementeret

det lögnagtige rygte om mit "private liv". 

Som De vil forstaa har dette baade betaget mig

arbeidslyst og i detheletaget lysten til at befatte

mig med kùnst – naar man forùden at slide sig ùd

for kùnstens skyld ogsaa skal resikere sit gode navn

og rygte. Jeg kommer herefter kùn til at male

smaa skisser for mig selv saa at jeg tilfredsstiller det vigtigste af

min kunstneriske trang – saa faar jeg forövrigt sige

kùnsten farvel og arbeide som en almindelig arbei-

der, hvis jeg klarer det. I det jeg atter beder Dem

ùndskylde mit lange brev, er jeg Deres i taknem-

lighed forbùndne. 

Nikolai Astrùp

Adr: Aalhus – Jölster – Söndfjord

Hr. Cand. Aslaksen 

                Elisenbergveien 24 

             Kristiania  

Translation

Dear Mr. Aslaksen!

While I thank You for the kind-

ness You showed me by lending

me the little sketch which You had

purchased from me, I dare 

ask You to pardon me for permitting myself

to write to You despite the fact, that

You are not personally acquainted with me. 

But I have long had the

urge to write to You to thank You

for Your cordial letter, which You sent

me this past spring, when I was in London. 

It has done me good to read through

Your letter on many occasions, when

I have been sick and tired of everything related to “art”. 

When I have thought of “giving up” – it 

has been a great comfort knowing, that there

actually exist persons, to whom one

has been able to bring pleasure through one’s art. 

How salutary even unto one’s 

soul it is to encounter

an individual, who is willing to speak

kindly of one, when one normally 

only experiences being the object

of lies, slander and envy

on the part of one’s spiteful fellow

human beings. 

I have attempted to express

something of the sense of nature, that 

overwhelms one when wandering about in 

Jölster’s landscape – these vapours and

 soil permeated with age-old paganism 

and primitive religions – this soil full 

of legend – these predominantly raw colours

have more value for my art than

merely as subjects for my pictures. 

And that in my opinion, is what mo-

tifs should include when it comes to all painters

– in other words they should 

be more rooted in the land – then they would

also be less marked by negative in-

fluences from foreign art. 

I am perhaps one of the painters in the country who is

most rooted to place and the land – and have staked 

my reputation on remaining unaffected by the

many art movements – but despite 

this I am accused of being 

influenced by Egidiùs in a picture like

“Midsummer Eve” – a picture that I

had painted long before I had seen

anything by Egidiùs. 

And now after I have seen almost

everything that Egidiùs has done, I 

cannot find one single picture by Egidiùs

that has the remotest resemblance to 

my picture “Midsummer Eve”. Egidiùs

was attached to the soil like myself, no other

resemblance exists between us. 

You mention my picture “Midsummer Eve

as one, that You remember best from my exhi-

bition, and which You would have liked to buy – I

III

ing about my picture – I can tell You – (in order to show You

that You have not been mistaken about the picture’s artistic 

worth) – that the new gallery, which

is being established in Bergen has tried to persuade

me to buy back that painting and three

more of my older pictures to then 

sell them to this gallery, but since I

am reluctant to act as a dealer that profits from 

buying and reselling previously sold pictures, 

I have given the gallery the addresses of

the pictures’ owners and asked the founder of the gallery

to approach the owners himself. One

of the pictures has now been acquired by the gallery 

for four times the amount I sold it

for. –

The Midsummer Eve picture was actually intended only

as a study – when I got hold of better paints I 

would paint it over again in a larger picture; At

the same time I painted another study, which

I planned to use for the same motif, it

has not been exhibited yet, as I

have been afraid that everyone might find

it too naïve and too raw and barbaric as well – 

I am fond of it myself precisely because of

these qualities; the young girl is not included 

there, but the mystique and the pagan atmos-

phere of the figures around the fire are perhaps even

stronger here than in the Midsummer Eve picture

If I come to Christiania more often, and I meet

You it will be a pleasure for me to 

present You with this study, if You

liked it. I will in any case bequeath this 

study to You in my will; for it is possible for

many reasons that I may never again

exhibit in Christiania. 

I have ruined my health you see first

by spending some years in Christiania going hungry

and nearly freezing to death, while I studied, 

and then by lying outdoors in the mountains here and

painting in all kinds of weather, so that in the end

I came down with tuberculosis, which nevertheless ended

after a few years and left a little

of my lungs intact – so that in recent

years I have been able to work a little, although

I have been greatly hindered in my work by

my weak lungs and constant shortness of breath

and choking seizures. I can therefore not

count on having many years left to live. 

I had become much better this spring and

the doctor believed that I might recover completely; 

but my health has deteriorated lately

– to which economic and artistic sorrows and

worries have contributed greatly – in addition to a few

envious and ungrateful friends’ malicious

and completely deceitful gossip about me. 

I was, as You know, in London this winter on a

grant from the Henrichsen Endowment, and I looked 

forward to being able to study completely in peace for a while

abroad – but since I had a wife to 

support and a little debt that I was being hounded to pay

off – and because I didn’t think it was right to use

some of the grant to cover these expenses,

I arranged an exhibition in Bergen in the spring and 

sold there, whatever pictures I had at hand for a 

pittance (among them many good pictures) – and I was 

thus able to pay all my debts and had enough 

left that my wife could live off it for ½ a year

while I was abroad. I looked forward now

to being able to study for a period abroad

free of debt claims and financial sorrows and thus

made a quick trip to Bergen both to

have a look at my own exhibition and in order to quickly see to 

my private expenses connected with the exhibition[,] 

which I was obliged to have others cover such as frames

transporting, etc. while I was abroad – and my

plan was to return immediately to London, 

where I had some works in progress. 

But I was not able to use my return ticket; because 

in the meantime I had been deprived of the grant without

being given any grounds as to why. 

I waited all of May and June in vain

for a reply from the endowment committee about whether the endowment would be returned to me and I 

finally heard through some well-off relatives

in Christiania ambiguous remarks about how:

my “private life” was purportedly of such a

nature, that I could not be offered the grant

for as long as others. 

I have since worried myself sick about

this and deliberated and speculated about, what I

shall do – and have enquired both far and wide

about, how anyone could fabricate such

deceitful gossip – and what the

excesses of my “private life” might consist of – I 

believe I have led as proper a life, 

as can be expected of any human being – 

– admittedly I married a girl last year 

who was a bit young – she was 15 years old, but 

I did not think this was so

immoral, that I should thereby be denied 

receiving my grant for as long as others. 

I was a member of the “Norwegian teetotaller society” both

before and after the grant was offered to me, 

and during the entire time I was abroad – I drank – 

– I vow one single glass of spirits – 

and that was due to illness. I have written

and questioned several of my acquaintances in Christi-

ania, and the only thing they were able to confirm was, that there

is talk circulating about how “my private life” is so depraved,

that the grant had to be taken from me. 

It is infuriating to be left

stranded after having done

one’s utmost to pay one’s debts 

and also at a point in time, when one is prevented

from applying for any other grant – 

had I at least been informed about the withdrawal

in time I might have applied for another 

grant – Werenskiold said last year, that I was

the no. 1 candidate for the Government grant; but since

I already was nominated as

no. 1 for the Henrichsen Endowment – then ob-

viously the government grant was given to someone else. 

It would have been much better, had I not

received the Henrichsen Endowment at all – when it would

be withdrawn again before the normal period

was over; – for if I had not counted on

having the Henrichsen Endowment, then I would have

of course applied for another grant

either Hoùen’s or the Government grant, and then I would have

received one of these; – because it was my turn 

to be offered one of them – now on the other hand I was not

even informed that the grant had been

withdrawn – and thus did not think of applying 

for another in time – and when I finally through private

sources found out, that someone else was nominated

for my grant – by then the 

other grants were also given away for 2 years. 

So now I cannot receive any 

grant for 2 years. 

But what is most infuriating is that

one should also have one’s good name and reputation

sullied without cause, so that one

is even subject to undeserved admonishments from one’s

relatives; because all sorts of deceitful stories

are now circulating about me in Christiania – among 

others that I presumably stayed at a 

(specifically named) hotel with a lover and

used up my grant in this extravagant way. 

Admittedly I spent 3 days with my wife

at a hotel (the same named hotel), which 

did not serve either beer or wine not to mention

liquor. We ate 2 meals per day

and did not drink anything – (which was not

available in any case) – so there was extravagance . 

I have neither before nor since stayed

at that hotel – and at the time I lived stayed

there during those 3 days last year I had not

yet received one öre of the grant. I have 

not spent a night at any other hotel during the 

past 4 years other with the exception of the Mission hotel in Bergen, 

and as one knows in that place there are no

drinks containing spirits to be had, in fact it is even strictly

forbidden to bring anything of the sort within the hotel

the hotel’s walls. As for the story of the 

“lover” I presumably brought with me – it can 

well be that her my wife’s young age may 

have been the cause of “talk”, so that someone or

other believed, that it was not my wife, 

but a lover who accompanied me, and that

V

was what instigated the story. 

Incidentally I have also heard, that two

young painters, who have been my good

friends, to whom I have lent or rather

given money – one of them even several hundred

kroner – these 2 friends, who have lived for free

in my home in Jölster, – one of them even

all year round for several years – these two it seems

to show their gratitude have agr agreed

to fabricate a scandalous story about me – 

“that I had presumably spent my grant at

a hotel and used it up there, etc.[”]

(most likely due to the afore-mentioned story)

One of these two has been careless 

enough to tell this story to another

one of my friends and added

at the same time, that he would bring

this story – to people higher up – and thereby

prevent me from receiving the second half of the 

grant – and NB – this he uttered before

I had received one öre of the endowment:

because this was paid out to me, when I arrived

in Bergen on my way overseas. 

None of these former friends of mine

benefited from their deceitful gossip

– poor souls, they did not get the grant – on the other hand

it was given to someone, whose “private life” is

so publicly known, that one might certainly make

a point of it, if one wished, but he is a good 

artist, and I therefore have nothing against 

him for having been given my grant. 

But I am tired of these young Christiania painters, who

do nothing but scowl at each other

and are sick with envy, every time one is awarded 

a grant, and since they continue to live in Christi-

ania, they have ample opportunity to sit at “the Grand”

and fabricate deceitful gossip. 

I am tired of them – and I have therefore decided

not to cross their paths again. – 

I am “striking” hereafter and will not exhibit in 

Christiania – I would rather become a com-

mon worker down at one of the copper mines 

here in West Norway and toil as much as my

poor lungs can bear, so that my poor

little wife shall not go hungry as long as I am

alive. 

No one has the right to accuse 

me of having used my grant for anything

other than my studies; – in order to save money

I even had my wife remain up in a mountain village 

where she could live cheaply, while I was abroad. 

I can obtain evidence from the same hotel, where

the scandalous episode was supposed to have taken place and from

the local priest, cantor, school instructor, postman and 

any other trustworthy men – to the effect, that there

is nothing negative to say about my private life

I would never have believed that a Christiania ma-

gistrate – or whoever is responsible for

distributing endowments – would pay attention to all manner of

deceitful gossipmongers and their stories – without 

investigating the case more closely. 

If You have had the patience to 

read through my words, I must thank

You for that and ask You to pardon me for having chosen

You as recipient listener of my Jeremiads. If You

might have had the opportunity to hear something

about these stories about my private life, 

I would be very grateful to You, if You would

send me a few lines in that regard.

For my family’s sake and for the sake of my good name

and reputation I have considered seeking legal

assistance, so that I might at least have the 

false gossip about my “private life” [rescinded]. 

As You will understand, this has robbed me of both

the desire to work and the desire to have anything

to do with art – when in addition to wearing oneself out

for the sake of art one must also risk one’s good name 

and reputation. I will hereafter only paint 

small sketches for myself in order to satisfy my most 

essential artistic drives – and otherwise say

goodbye to art and work as a common labour-

er, if I can manage it. As I once again ask You

to pardon my long letter, I am most gratefully

obliged to You 

Nikolai Astrùp

Adr: Aalhus – Jölster – Söndfjord

Mr. Aslaksen, Candidate

Elisebergveien 24

Kristiania