The motif in A Clear Night in June is found in several of Astrup’s pictures. The farmstead, with its numerous cluster of buildings, was situated directly above the parsonage in Ålhus, but it was the profusion of marigolds that captured Astrup’s interest in particular. The marsh was a perfect breeding ground for the yellow marigolds that light up the landscape in the limpid summer night. As a result of modern farming methods this marsh was drained, and the meadow full of marigolds slowly dried out. An important part of the motif thus disappeared, and Astrup was forced to look elsewhere for marigold fields that he might study and use instead. If you look carefully, you can see two mysterious shadows that stretch across the landscape.