Astruptunet

Nikolai Astrup bought this smallholding on the steep southern shore of Jolstravatnet in 1912 and lived and worked there until his death in 1928, painting the same landscape repeatedly in oils and in woodcuts printed from blocks he cut himself, in a style that combines national romanticism with something stranger and more folk-rooted. His reputation abroad grew after major exhibitions in the 2010s. The farm is kept as a cluster of small turf-roofed timber buildings up a steep slope, including his house, the studio where his printing press stands, and the terraced garden he planted with rhubarb, herbs and flowers that appear in the paintings. A gallery beside the site shows his work and the view over the lake he painted.

What you actually see

• The farmstead - turf-roofed timber buildings on a steep hillside.
• The studio - his working space with the woodcut printing press.
• The garden - terraced planting that recurs throughout his paintings.
• The lake view - Jolstravatnet from the angle he painted it.

When to go

May to September, the opening season; the garden is at its best in June and July. Outside the season the site is closed. The steep terrain makes wet weather awkward.

Honest expectations

The farm is on a steep slope with narrow paths and steps, difficult for anyone with mobility limits. Most of Astrup's major paintings are in museums elsewhere, so the gallery here shows a selection. Opening is seasonal only.

Nearby

Jolster and the Gaularfjellet road are close; Forde and the Sunnfjord valleys lie west.