Slåttonn På Kvalbein, Jæren 1884

Kitty Lange Kielland made this oil painting, Slåttonn På Kvalbein, Jæren, sometime in the late 19th century. It shows figures harvesting in a field. But how does this scene connect to the social realities of Kielland’s time? The image creates meaning through its depiction of rural labor in Norway, and it evokes a sense of national identity rooted in the land. The painting was made during a period of significant social and economic change in Norway, as the country was undergoing industrialization and modernization. Kielland, influenced by the realist movement, sought to capture the lives of ordinary people. We can learn more about the lives of people in Jæren through local historical societies, census records, and agricultural reports, and we can use these sources to understand the context of the artwork. Art, after all, is deeply embedded in its time.