Kitty Kielland's Summer Night: A Neo-Impressionist Masterpiece from Norway's Fleskum Summer
In 1886, Kitty Lange Kielland (1843–1914) created an oil on canvas titled Summer Night, which measures 100.5 by 135.5 cm. The artwork illustrates Dælivannet, a lake located on Fleskum Farm in Bærum, Norway, during a summer evening in the Nordic region. The low angle of the sun results in bright nights and a silvery sky. Kielland worked en plein air, capturing intricate landscape elements such as a rowboat and swaying rushes. Unlike her French Impressionist counterparts, she utilized similar hues to achieve purer tones, a style some associate with Neo-Impressionism. The National Gallery in Oslo acquired the piece in 1886. Kielland, originally from Stavanger, relocated to Paris in 1878, became a professor in 1883, co-founded the Norwegian Association for Women's Rights in 1884, and was awarded the Kongens fortjenstmedalje in 1908. The painting is now part of The National Museum of Art in Oslo.
Key facts
- Kitty Lange Kielland (1843–1914) painted Summer Night in 1886 with oil on canvas.
- The painting measures 100.5 by 135.5 centimeters (39.6 by 53.3 inches).
- It depicts Dælivannet, a lake on Fleskum Farm in Bærum, Norway.
- The National Gallery in Oslo bought Summer Night directly from Kielland in 1886.
- Kielland moved from Stavanger to Paris in 1878 at age 35.
- She became a professor at Académie Colarossi in 1883 and co-founded the Norwegian Association for Women's Rights in 1884.
- She exhibited at World Expositions in 1885, 1889, 1893, and 1900.
- She received the Kongens fortjenstmedalje from the Danish government in 1908.
- The Fleskum Summer of 1886 was an artists' colony on Fleskum Farm, marking a turning point in Norwegian art history.
- Kielland's color-blending technique leads some art historians to classify her as a Neo-Impressionist.
Entities
Artists
- Kitty Kielland
- Kitty Lange Kielland
Institutions
- The National Museum of Art in Norway
- The National Gallery in Oslo
- Académie Colarossi
- Norwegian Association for Women's Rights
- Wikimedia Commons
Locations
- Stavanger
- Norway
- Paris
- France
- Dælivannet
- Fleskum Farm
- Bærum
- Oslo
- Arctic Circle
- Denmark