Who painted Loke styrtes i afgrunden af Hother?

Loke styrtes i afgrunden af Hother was painted by Frederik Storch in 1827.

Where can I see Loke styrtes i afgrunden af Hother?

Loke styrtes i afgrunden af Hother is held by Statens Museum for Kunst.

What movement is Loke styrtes i afgrunden af Hother?

Loke styrtes i afgrunden af Hother is associated with German Romanticism.

Can I buy a print of Loke styrtes i afgrunden af Hother?

Museum-quality prints of Loke styrtes i afgrunden af Hother are available made-to-order from Artifact World Gallery.

Artwork

Loke styrtes i afgrunden af Hother

Frederik Storch , 1827

Loke styrtes i afgrunden af Hother is an oil painting by the German Romanticist artist Frederik Storch. It dates from 1827 and is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst.

About this work

Overview

Frederik Storch’s 1827 oil on canvas, titled Loke styrtes i afgrunden af Hother, depicts a dramatic encounter between two male figures. The work is part of the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst in Copenhagen and presents a moment drawn from Norse mythology, rendered with a strong sense of movement and tension.

Subject & Meaning

The composition shows a cloaked, armored warrior thrusting a spear upward while a shirtless opponent presses back with his bare arms, suggesting a struggle between order and chaos. The figures are commonly identified as the god Loki being cast into a chasm by the hero Hother, a scene that symbolizes the triumph of law over deceit in the mythic narrative.

Technique & Style

Storch employs a chiaroscuro effect, contrasting deep shadows with sharply illuminated flesh and metal, which heightens the drama.

Storch employs a chiaroscuro effect, contrasting deep shadows with sharply illuminated flesh and metal, which heightens the drama. The brushwork in the background is loose and turbulent, evoking a stormy sky that mirrors the conflict below. The rendering of musculature and armor is detailed, while the surrounding atmosphere remains impressionistic, creating a balance between realism and expressive abstraction.

History & Provenance

Completed in 1827, the painting entered the Danish national collection and has remained at the Statens Museum for Kunst since its acquisition. It reflects the early‑19th‑century Danish interest in national myths and the Romantic fascination with heroic struggle, situating Storch within the period’s academic painting tradition.