The Light of the North
In the small town of Ásólfsskáli, the landscape carries a specific weight. It was here that Ásgrímur Jónsson was born in 1876, a place where the terrain is shaped by volcanic activity and the shifting moods of the sky. He left this home in 1900, traveling to Copenhagen to study at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts. He spent three years there, absorbing the techniques of European landscape painting before returning to the islands. He did not merely paint the scenery; he sought to capture the way light moves across the mountains and rivers of Iceland. His brushwork often mirrored the soft, atmospheric quality found in the works of Corot, focusing on the subtle changes in the northern light.
His work was a way of making a living from art in a place where such a profession was still a new concept. He spent much of his life observing the volcanic mountains and the way the sky interacts with the earth. His studio was a place of constant production, resulting in a vast body of work that included:
He was a man of significant standing, receiving honors such as the Grand Knight of the Icelandic Order of the Falcon in 1933. He also held positions as an honorary professor at the University of Iceland and was an honorary member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Arts. His influence reached through the generations, touching the work of other artists like Jóhannes Sveinsson Kjarval.
A Legacy Left Behind
The way an artist leaves their work can be as telling as the work itself. Shortly before he died in Reykjavík in 1958, Jónsson made a decision regarding his home at No. 74, Bergstaðastræti. He donated the house and his entire collection to the Icelandic Government. This collection consisted of 192 oil paintings and 277 watercolours, along with many unfinished pieces from different stages of his life. Today, this house remains as the Ásgrímur Jónsson Collection, forming a part of the National Gallery of Iceland. His life was spent recording the primal energy of the land, from the midnight sun to the shadows of the mountains.
