Photo: Oslo City museum

Nikolai Astrup is one of Norway’s most beloved artists. His paintings and his graphic arts, representing the mighty nature of Jølster with mountains, grey rocks and luxuriant vegetation, modest small holdings and commonplace people is something which we still strongly associate with our country.

Astrup was a true artist of his native soil; - and yet he possessed a distinct international orientation. After several years of studies abroad, he returned home to Jølster where
he settled down for good. What could have been the cultural back cloth and the artistic challenge explaining his strong
roots to his home and origin? Why do we consider his art
works being of such a typically national character? And is it
of significance for us today that his art is being interpreted as distinctly Norwegian? On the whole; how do we regard Astrup in 2005?

To shed some light on this, three of Norway’s leading art museums; viz. Haugar Vestfold Art Museum, Drammen Museum and Bergen Art Museum have joined forces in arranging the exhibition ”Nikolai Astrup – Roots and Identity”. This exhibition will be touring the most important regional museums in Norway during 2005 and 2006, showing about 100 of Astrup’s most significant works.

"There is a young painter, Nikolai Astrup is his name, who at present; - at Blomqvist, is exhibiting several of his works deserving the greatest attention. It is the strange and breathtaking nature he gives us - in a new and unconventional way. Astrup views it with the cheerful unbiased eyes of a child of nature. And the picture, the image has taken shape in his imagination, such as its true nature really is; - without words, without explanations".

(Review in "Posten" 19th April, 1905 in connection with Astrup's debut exhibition. Other reviews were equally enthusiastic).