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Portrait of Nikolai Astrup
Oil on canvas, 90.4 x 68.1 cm, by
Henrik Lund, 1900
Oslo Museum
 

Astrup appears as a solitary, inward figure, pipe clenched between his teeth, his gaze fixed straight ahead under the brim of a dark hat. Lund uses a near-monochrome palette of blues to heighten the introspective mood, with loose brushwork giving the background a sense of quiet turbulence. The stark side-profile and heavy cloak lend Astrup a sculptural presence, evoking both detachment and a quiet intensity.