The Parsonage
undefined undefined undefined, 1907 - 1907, 1010 x 880 mm
KODE Kunstmuseer og komponisthjem (KODE Art Museums and Composer Homes), Sparebankstiftelsen DnB
The exterior of the parsonage where Astrup grew up is depicted in a nearly photorealistic style. He has given meticulous attention to small details, such as the variations in the white colour of the façade, from cold grey to yellow tones, and the striking colours and shapes of the stones in the foundation. We can even notice the tendrils of a creeper climbing up the house wall. In other areas of the picture traces of the paintbrush are clearly visible. The background and ground are depicted with fewer nuances, an effect that leads our gaze back to the vicarage building.
The painting is rendered in various painterly techniques. While the foundation of the house and the birch tree by the staircase railing have an obvious painterly character, in the form of brushstrokes and paint, the side of the house is executed with meticulous details that resemble a photograph. The combination of these different techniques creates a tension in the picture.
-1905-1908:
Nikolai Astrup
(1880-1928)
n.d.-1968-:
Johan Anton Mowinckel
(1902-1968)
1908-1908:
Bergens Kunstforening
1908-n.d.:
KHÅK Kunsthall (Ålesund Kunstforening)
-1928-1928-:
Marius Meyer
(1877-1962)
-1968-1987-:
-1968-1987-:
-1994-2005:
Loge, Øystein. Betrothed to Nature. Oslo: Det Norske Samlaget, 2010.
Bergens kunstforening. Katalog over Nikolai Astrups Maleriutstilling. Bergen: Bergens kunstforening, 1908.
Bergens Kunstforening. Nikolai Astrup 1880–1928. Mindeutstilling. Bergen: Bergens kunstforening, 1928.
The painting The Parsonage depicts the part of the parsonage called “Hjørnestuen” (the “Corner Cabin”). The building across from it, “Dagligstuen” (the “Day Cabin”), was torn down in 1907, which can give us an indication of the dating. In which case it would be reasonable to believe that the painting was executed in 1907 or earlier. The realistic details in the picture bring to mind photography, and in connection with the demolition of the building Astrup took a series of photographs of the old parsonage building and garden. The parsonage was a major motif for him, and with the photographic documentation he could preserve the motif as a template. This makes the dating difficult. The provisional dating – 1902–1908 – lies within Astrup’s period of similar parsonage motifs.