Summer Night at the Old and New Parsonage at Jølster

There are no known descriptions or photographs of this painting, but Astrup’s title indicates that it depicts the parsonage buildings at Ålhus in Jølster on a summer night.

The work was on sale at Astrup’s 1908 exhibition at Bergens kunstforening (art society) for 50 kroner. The painting was not sold, but the society’s records show that the painting was sent to Ole Johannessen (1858–1948) in Bergen. Johannessen was married to Hanna Lodtz (1862–1948), who was a cousin of Astrup’s mother, Petra Constanse Astrup, née Lodtz (1860–1930). In conjunction with the exhibition, several pictures were sent to Johannessen to be stored.

In Astrup’s list from 1927, the work is described as a “charcoal drawing, which was quite good, but unfortunately ended up with a tear in one of its corners”. This may suggest that the picture was a paper drawing, in spite of it being exhibited at “Nikolai Astrup’s Exhibition of Paintings” in 1908. If so, it is an exception from the other works listed, which are all paintings.