Artwork
Young Woman Sitting in a Norwegian Landscape
Young Woman Sitting in a Norwegian Landscape is an oil painting by Frederik Sødring. It dates from 1834 and is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst.
About this work
Overview
Frederik Sødring’s 1834 oil painting, Young Woman Sitting in a Norwegian Landscape, presents a quiet scene of a young woman positioned on a rocky ledge amid a pastoral setting. The work is part of the collection of Denmark’s Statens Museum for Kunst, where it remains on display as an example of early‑19th‑century Nordic genre landscape.
Subject & Meaning
The central figure, a young woman in a white dress accented by a black belt and a red shawl, holds a straw hat tied with a blue ribbon. Her hair is gathered in a bun, and she wears modest jewelry. She is placed against a backdrop of grass, wildflowers and a distant water body, evoking a sense of calm contemplation within nature.
Technique & Style
Sødring employs a delicate handling of light, allowing the sky’s clear blue to illuminate the scene and create atmospheric depth. Subtle glazing builds layers of color, especially in the water and foliage, while the contrast between the bright dress and darker surroundings enhances the figure’s presence. The brushwork remains smooth, characteristic of the period’s academic landscape approach.
History & Provenance
Completed in 1834, the painting entered the holdings of the Statens Museum for Kunst, Denmark’s national gallery, where it has been conserved as part of the museum’s early Romantic collection. Its acquisition reflects the institution’s interest in documenting Scandinavian scenery and everyday life during the era.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Danish painter Frederik Sødring made moody scenes of real places—Norway’s cliffs, Sweden’s ruins, Denmark’s chalk cliffs—all lit by moonlight or soft daylight.
View of Bregentved Forest, Sjaeeland
The "Summer Spire" on the Chalk Cliffs of the Island Møn. Moonlight
The Ruins of Brahehus near Jönköping, Sweden
The Rear Courtyard of Charlottenborg Palace
View of the Marble Square with the Ruins of the Uncompleted Frederik's Church
"Marialyst" at Frederiksberg. Ole Winstrup's House
Slottet Büresheim ved Eifelfloden
View of Oberwesel and the Rhine. Germany
Italialainen kukkaistyttö
Portrait of a Young Lady
Countess Széchenyi
Madame Saint-Ange Chevrier
Ahvenanmaalainen talonpoikaismorsian
La ausencia
Portrait of Hanne Wanscher, née Wegener
Love's Melancholy
Karen Margrethe Borch
Through the Wood: A Girl with a Basket of Eggs on her Arm
Lady in Violet- Young Woman Sitting in a Norwegian Landscape