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
- Johan Christian Dahl
- 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
Provenance
Additional information
This painting is included in a list of works with incomplete provenance from 1933–1945; for more information see Whereabouts of paintings 1933–1945.
Text extracted from the National Gallery’s Annual Report, ‘The National Gallery: Review of the Year, April 2016 – March 2017’.
Exhibition history
-
2011Forests, Rocks, Torrents: Norwegian and Swiss Landscapes from the Lunde CollectionThe National Gallery (London)22 June 2011 - 18 September 2011
Bibliography
-
2017National Gallery, The National Gallery: Review of the Year, April 2016 - March 2017, London 2017
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.