Skip to main content

Johan Christian Dahl, 'The Lower Falls of the Labrofoss', 1827

About the work

Overview

Dahl probably visited the waterfalls at Labro (Labrofoss) when on a sketching trip in Norway, his country of birth, in 1826. Around 80 kilometres west of Oslo, the Labrofoss are among Norway’s major falls. Dahl shows the lower part of the rapids, placing us on flat rocks directly facing the torrent as it surges through a narrow gully. He applied the white paint thickly to suggest the power and roughness of the cascading water.

Although a rugged landscape, this is not untamed wilderness. A large wooden hut on the left and two woodcutters, one holding an axe, show that this countryside is harvested for its resources. Labrofoss is now the site of a hydroelectric power station.

Dahl was a friend of the German landscape painter Caspar David Friedrich, but his landscapes are not infused with the spiritual intensity of Friedrich’s. They focus instead on naturalism and anecdotal detail.

Key facts

Details

Full title
The Lower Falls of the Labrofoss
Artist dates
1788 - 1857
Date made
1827
Medium and support
oil on canvas
Dimensions
51 × 66 cm
Acquisition credit
Presented by Mr Asbjørn Lunde through the American Friends of the National Gallery, 2016
Inventory number
NG6661
Location
Not on display
Collection
Main Collection
Frame
20th-century Replica Frame

About this record

If you know more about this painting or have spotted an error, please contact us. Please note that exhibition histories are listed from 2009 onwards. Bibliographies may not be complete; more comprehensive information is available in the National Gallery Library.

Images