Sam Eyde Foran Svelgfoss 1908

Theodor Kittelsen made this unreal landscape painting of Sam Eyde at Svelgfoss in the late 19th or early 20th century, presumably with oil on canvas. The cool, muted color palette feels distinctly Nordic, like a foggy day hanging over some forbidding fjords. Kittelsen was really interested in Norwegian folklore, and you can see it here in how he treats the landscape as this massive, almost conscious entity, dwarfing the little figure of Eyde down in the corner. But what’s really interesting is how he renders the waterfall itself: It’s not just water, but seems almost like some kind of supernatural force, something alive. Look at the way the light is diffused; it’s as if the falls are breathing. And then there are these subtle faces in the foam, like hidden spirits watching over everything. Kittelsen reminds me a bit of Odilon Redon, they both conjure up these dreamlike, symbolic worlds. His work invites you to bring your own interpretation.