Technical description
Birthday in the Parsonage garden was left unfinished in the studio upon the artist’s death in 1928. The right side has several unfinished areas, such as missing details in both the house and the figure in red. An X-ray photo reveals that the white house has been painted over, in a new position, which is also visible in the structure of the brushwork. The tree in front of the stone table has been painted over a figure, probably male, that was originally positioned behind the table. This underlying paint layer could be the first version of the painting from 1911. In 1919 Astrup writes, “I have ‘scraped it’ several times and begun it anew, and I lack a large enough studio, which I could use for such a large picture.”
Several of the works that are listed as “unsigned” in the exhibition catalogue from 1928 have a signature similar to this one in red or brown paint, but technical analyses have not been conducted which might confirm whether the same pigments have been used.
Provenance
1911-1928:
Artist
Nikolai Astrup
(1880-1928)
1928-1955-:
By descent, to
Engel Astrup
(1892-1966)
-1956-n.d.:
Gift to
Arnold Böcklin Astrup
(1914-1995)
-1965-1972:
Purchased by
Nils Astrup
(1901-1972)
1972-1987-:
By descent, to
Private owner
-1994-2005:
Purchased by
Private owner
Exhibition history
Solo exhibition
1928-11-11 - 1928-12-9
Nikolai Astrup. Mindeutstilling
Kristiania (Oslo)
Catalogue number 104
See exhibition
1994-9-17 - 1994-11-13
Nikolai Astrup. Tradisjon og overskridelse
Oslo
Catalogue number 18
See exhibition
1995-3-18 - 1995-5-7
Nikolai Astrup. Tradisjon og overskridelse
Bergen
Catalogue number 18
See exhibition
1995-5-15 - 1995-9-15
Nikolai Astrup. Tradisjon og overskridelse
Jølster
Catalogue number 18
See exhibition
2005-1-15 - 2005-2-27
Nikolai Astrup. Tilhørighet og identitet
Tønsberg
Catalogue number [no]
See exhibition
2005-3-11 - 2005-5-1
Nikolai Astrup. Tilhørighet og identitet
Drammen
Catalogue number [no]
See exhibition
2005-5-24 - 2005-8-14
Nikolai Astrup. Tilhørighet og identitet
Bergen
Catalogue number [no]
See exhibition
2005-8-28 - 2005-10-23
Nikolai Astrup. Tilhørighet og identitet
Stavanger
Catalogue number [no]
See exhibition
2005-11-6 - 2006-1-1
Nikolai Astrup. Tilhørighet og identitet
Trondheim
Catalogue number [no]
See exhibition
2006-2-11 - 2006-3-26
Nikolai Astrup. Tilhørighet og identitet
Kristiansand
Catalogue number [no]
See exhibition
2006-5-20 - 2006-8-13
Nikolai Astrup. Tilhørighet og identitet
Jølster
Catalogue number [no]
See exhibition
2006-8-26 - 2006-10-1
Nikolai Astrup. Tilhørighet og identitet
Notodden
Catalogue number [no]
See exhibition
2006-10-14 - 2006-12-30
Nikolai Astrup. Tilhørighet og identitet
Lillehammer
Catalogue number [no]
See exhibition
2016-10-2 - 2017-1-22
Nikolai Astrup: Norwegen. Eine Entdeckung
Emden
Catalogue number 24
See exhibition
Group exhibition
Bibliography
Bergens Kunstforening. Nikolai Astrup 1880–1928. Mindeutstilling. Bergen: Bergens kunstforening, 1928.
Loge, Øystein. Gartneren under regnbuen. Hjemstavnskunstneren Nikolai Astrup. Oslo: Dreyers Forlag, 1986.
Loge, Øystein. Betrothed to Nature. Oslo: Det Norske Samlaget, 2010.
Astrup, Nikolai, to Høst, Isabella, 1912–05. nb.no, Brevs.531.
Astrup, Nikolai, to Høst, Isabella, 1923–11–21. nb.no, Brevs.531.
Loge, Øystein. Nikolai Astrup: tradisjon og overskridelse. [Høvikodden]: Henie-Onstad kunstsenter, 1994.
Stiftelsen Modums Blaafarveværk (ed.). Nikolai Astrup 1880–1928. Modum: [s.n.], 1987.
Kunstnernes Hus. Nikolai Astrup. Malerier og tresnitt. Oslo: Kunstnernes Hus, 1955.
Nordiska Konstförbundet. Nikolai Astrup 1880–1928. Stockholm: Nordiska Konstförbundet, 1956.
Kunstforeningen i København. Nikolai Astrup 1880–1928. København: Kunstforeningen i København, 1965.
