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A Night in June in the Garden

Nikolai Astrup

A Night in June in the Garden (Juninatt i hagen) is a colour woodcut with hand colouring by the Norwegian artist Nikolai Astrup, dated 1909. Astrup printed impressions of it between 1909 and 1927, and several belong to Sparebankstiftelsen DNB's collection, held at KODE Art museums and composer homes.

Where to see it

This impression belongs to Sparebankstiftelsen DNB's collection and is deposited with KODE Art museums and composer homes, under inventory number BKM.Dep.00486/07. Works on paper are often rotated off display to protect them from light, so check KODE's official website for current display status, opening hours and ticket information before you visit.

What to look for in person

A print in which no two impressions match

Astrup made impressions of this woodcut over almost two decades, from 1909 to 1927, and added colour by hand. Compare this sheet with the others in the same collection if you get the chance: the catalogue records three impressions on slightly different sheet sizes, including 320 x 408 mm for this one and 311 x 411 mm and 309 x 414 mm for the other two. Look for shifts in colour and tone that make each sheet a distinct version of the same image, rather than an identical copy.

Garden, lake and mountains

The museum's catalogue keywords for one impression of this print list a garden, mountains, a lake and marigolds among its motifs, and the scene is linked to Ålhus. In front of the sheet, try to follow how the cultivated foreground garden opens onto the wider landscape beyond. The title points to a June night, so pay attention to how the colour suggests the light of a northern early-summer evening, where dusk lingers instead of turning fully dark.

Signature, paper and surface

Look at the lower left corner for the signature 'N. ASTRUP'. This impression is printed on thick vellum paper, and if the lighting allows, it is worth examining the surface closely. In a woodcut, the colour is transferred from carved wooden blocks, which can leave visible grain and slight textures in flat areas of ink. Here, hand colouring was added on top of the printing, so try to distinguish the printed passages from those touched in by brush.

About the painting

Nikolai Astrup (1880–1928) is known in Norway both as a painter and as an innovative maker of colour woodcuts. A Night in June in the Garden, titled Juninatt i hagen in Norwegian, is one of his woodcuts with hand colouring. The catalogue raisonné compiled by KODE dates the print to 1909 and records that Astrup made impressions from it between 1909 and 1927. That long span reflects a working method typical of his printmaking: he returned to his blocks over many years, so impressions of one motif can differ noticeably. The motif is associated with Ålhus. The print appears as number 42 in Askeland's catalogue and number 9 in Greve's catalogue of Astrup's prints. The impression described here, inventory number BKM.Dep.00486/07, is printed on thick vellum paper, measures 320 x 408 mm and is signed at the lower left. A private owner bought it in 1994; in 2007 Sparebankstiftelsen DNB acquired it and deposited it with KODE Art museums and composer homes. It is listed as T47 in Loge and Brynildsen's 1994 book on Astrup, Blomsten, berget og St. Hansnatten, and it was exhibited in Drømmesommer at Åmot from 22 May to 19 September 2009 as catalogue number 44. Two further impressions are in the same collection. BKM.Dep.00487/07, also on thick vellum paper, measures 311 x 411 mm and is Loge and Brynildsen's T49. BKM.Dep.00488/07 measures 309 x 414 mm, was privately owned from 1994 to 2005, and was shown in the exhibition Nikolai Astrup 1880–1928 at Åmot (Modums Blaafarveværk) in 1987 as catalogue number 98.

Key facts

More by Nikolai Astrup

• Foxgloves
• Spring Night and Willow

Sources

• Nikolai Astrup catalogue raisonné (KODE)
• Nikolai Astrup catalogue raisonné (KODE)
• Nikolai Astrup catalogue raisonné (KODE)