Dying Glaciers

There are no known descriptions or photographs of this painting, but Astrup’s title indicates that this is a landscape painting depicting glaciers.

The painting is mentioned in conjunction with a painting from Trollebotten, but it is unclear whether “Dying Glaciers” is of the same area. Trollebotten is a mountainous landscape that lies north of Ålhus in Jølster, and it is associated with a series of pictures Astrup painted during the summers of 1906 to 1908. The Trollebotten series depicts Lake Trollebottsvatnet and the jagged mountain Trollebottsegga. The glaciers Blåbreen and Sørsendalsbreen lie north of Trollebotten, but we also know that shortly after he finished studying, Astrup spent time at Stardalen and was familiar with the Oldeskaret trail to the Briksdalsbreen glacier.

There are no known paintings by Astrup that have glaciers as their main subject, but this is one of two pictures where a glacier is specifically mentioned. The other version is mentioned as a gift to Sara Amanda Berge, whose married name was Torp (1885–1975). She was a governess for the Astrup family at Ålhus around the period 1900–1903.