Christian Krohg
Christian Krohg: close to people and his own time
Christian Krohg (1852 to 1925) was a Norwegian painter, writer and journalist. He depicted fishermen, sailors, families and people exposed to poverty and social control. He was also an active portrait painter and teacher. His work encompasses major social critiques and intimate glimpses of daily life.
From law studies to naturalism
Krohg qualified in law before continuing his artistic education in Germany. Karl Gussow became an important teacher in Karlsruhe and Berlin. An emphasis on direct observation of nature informed Krohg's realism. He subsequently encountered French painting, including Manet and the Impressionists. His brushwork became freer, while his interest in contemporary life remained.
Skagen became an important workplace from 1879. There he came to know the Gaihede fishing family and painted works including Woman Cutting Bread and Babord litt. In his pictures of sailors, close framing and cropped figures bring the viewer near the action. Oblique angles can suggest a ship's movement. These are compositional choices rather than accidental shortages of space around the subject.
Albertine and The Struggle for Existence
Albertine in the Police Doctor's Waiting Room is an oil painting on canvas, catalogued by Nasjonalmuseet as begun in 1885 and completed in 1887. Krohg shows women waiting for the official medical examination of prostitutes. The painting and his 1886 novel Albertine formed part of his criticism of society's treatment of poor women. The book was confiscated; the painting attracted a broad audience and provoked debate.
The Struggle for Existence in Nasjonalmuseet is an oil painting on canvas dated 1889. Its starting point is a bread distribution in Kristiania. People press towards the distribution at the edge of the picture, while children carrying pails stand further back. The large composition makes access to food a visible question of power and dependency.
Teacher, writer and artist
Krohg taught at the Académie Colarossi in Paris and was professor and director of Norway's State Academy of Art from 1909 to 1925. He wrote reports, interviews and portraits of artists. His books Lodser and Kunstnere contain his own drawings. The relationship between text and image is therefore part of his practice, beyond providing background to the paintings.
Versions and documentation
Krohg often returned to subjects. Norsk kunstnerleksikon records several versions, preparatory studies and replicas of Babord litt. A title or similar subject cannot therefore identify a particular painting on its own. Dating, support, dimensions and ownership history must relate to the individual work.
Distinguish an original painting or drawing from printed illustrations and later reproductions. Reproducing an oil painting does not create an original print merely because a signature appears in the image. Document the reverse, inscriptions, labels, restoration and previous owners. Uncertain attribution must be described as uncertain.
Read more about artist signatures, provenance and ownership history.
Browse related items in our online shop.
Contact OBA about selling and assessment (Norwegian page).
Read our article about Oda Krohg.
Sources and further reading
- Norsk kunstnerleksikon: Christian Krohg
- Store norske leksikon: Christian Krohg
- National Museum: Albertine in the Police Doctor’s Waiting Room
- National Museum: The Struggle for Existence
- National Museum: Bread distribution and composition
- Norsk biografisk leksikon: Christian Krohg
- National Museum: Christian Krohg’s compelling realism
