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Spring Night and Willow
Spring Night and Willow (Norwegian: Vårnatt og seljekall) is a woodcut landscape by Nikolai Astrup, a motif the catalogue raisonné dates to 1917 and links to Myklebust. Impressions of the print belong to Sparebankstiftelsen DNB's collection and are on deposit at KODE Art museums and composer homes.
Where to see it
Spring Night and Willow is part of Sparebankstiftelsen DNB's collection and is held on deposit at KODE Art museums and composer homes, where the impression described here has been since 2007. KODE holds more than one impression of the motif. Works on paper such as hand-coloured woodcuts are often shown only for limited periods, so check KODE's official website for current display status, opening hours and ticket information before planning your visit.
What to look for in person
A spring night over mountain and lake
The catalogue classes this print as a landscape and names mountain, lake and tree as its key elements. Begin by stepping back and reading the whole sheet: notice how the mass of the mountain, the stretch of water and the tree are arranged against one another. The title points to a spring night, a subject Astrup returned to repeatedly. In Norway, nights in spring and early summer stay pale rather than fully dark, and his prints often hold that subdued, lingering light. Look for how the colour suggests this quiet hour rather than night-time blackness.
Woodcut and the artist's own hand
The impression recorded as BKM.Dep.00474/07 combines woodcut with wash and hand colouring on thick vellum paper. Move closer and compare the surfaces: areas printed from the block usually look flat and even, while washes and hand-applied colour may show softer edges and shifts in density. Astrup is known for reworking his woodcuts by hand, so colour can vary noticeably from one impression to another. The paper also carries an embossed Reeves Pastel Paper watermark, although it may be difficult to see under gallery lighting or framing.
One motif, several impressions
More than one impression of this print is on deposit at KODE, and small details help to tell them apart. BKM.Dep.00474/07 is signed "N. ASTRUP" at the bottom right. BKM.Dep.00476/07, a hand-coloured colour woodcut printed by Astrup between 1920 and 1927, carries the same signature at the upper left instead. BKM.Dep.00477/07 bears both "NA" at the bottom left and "N. ASTRUP" at the bottom right. If one is on view, check the signature placement and compare its colouring with reproductions of the others.
About the painting
Nikolai Astrup's Spring Night and Willow, known in Norwegian as Vårnatt og seljekall, is a woodcut landscape whose motif the KODE catalogue raisonné dates to 1917 and connects with Myklebust. In the standard catalogues of Astrup's prints it appears as Askeland no. 36 and Greve catalogue no. 38. As with many of Astrup's woodcuts, the motif survives in several impressions, each with its own colouring and finishing. The impression catalogued as BKM.Dep.00474/07 is a woodcut with wash and hand colouring on thick vellum paper. It measures 350 x 274 mm and is signed "N. ASTRUP" at the bottom right. Its recorded history is short: it was in private hands from 1990 to 2005, was acquired by Sparebankstiftelsen DNB in 2005, and has been deposited at KODE since 2007. A second impression, BKM.Dep.00476/07, measures 351 x 279 mm and is a hand-coloured colour woodcut printed by Astrup between 1920 and 1927. It was privately owned from 1994 to 2005 and has been exhibited twice: in "Nikolai Astrup: Visions of Norway" (19 June to 19 September 2021), where it was catalogue no. 88 on page 208, and in "Nikolai Astrup. Rå natur" from 15 October 2021 to 23 January 2022. A third impression, BKM.Dep.00477/07, measures 350 x 276 mm. In 2016 it was shown in "Nikolai Astrup: Painting Norway" in London and in "Norske Landskap" in Oslo, and in 2016 to 2017 in Emden, as catalogue no. 54. It is also recorded as no. T40 in Loge and Brynildsen's 1994 book "Nikolai Astrup: Blomsten, berget og St. Hansnatten".
Key facts
| Artist | Nikolai Astrup |
|---|---|
| Medium | colour woodcut with hand colouring |
| Collection | Sparebankstiftelsen DNB’s collection / KODE Art museums and composer homes |
How to visit: KODE Art museums and composer homes
Bergen Municipality, Norway
Hours and prices can change. Please check the official website before you go.
