The exhibition sheds light on how the darkness of night and the mystique of childhood were important sources of inspiration for Nikolai Astrup.

In the dim light of dusk and in the shadow of a blazing bonfire, nature awakens. Trees become trolls and mountains have faces.

In the course of his career Astrup’s art underwent a transition from dark, evocative scenes – often devoid of figures – to sun-drenched landscapes full of life and vegetation. After studying in Paris and Berlin his pictures become increasingly experimental and intense in colour.

Astrup settles with his wife and children in Sandalstrand and their new home becomes a central motif in his art. “Out of the Shadows” presents Astrup’s many shifting atmospheres and diverse depictions of human beings in close contact with nature.

Nikolai Astrup (1880–1928) has held a prominent position in Norwegian art history since he exhibited his work for the first time in the year of Norway’s independence, 1905. He is primarily known for his distinctive depictions of the lush nature and traditional way of life in Western Norway. Together with Edvard Munch he introduced the modern woodcut medium to Norway.