Portrait of the Painter Oda Krohg, b. Lasson

Christian Krohg was the central figure of Norwegian naturalism and social realism, and this 1888 portrait of Oda Krohg (born Lasson) — who became his wife — is one of his most important personal works. Oda Lasson was herself a significant figure in Norwegian bohemian circles, a painter and a central presence in the progressive artistic community in which Krohg moved. Their relationship, which began in the 1880s, was unconventional for the period. This portrait captures a woman of considerable intelligence and character, rendered with the direct, psychologically honest approach that distinguishes Krohg's best portraiture.

Krohg renders Oda with his characteristic directness — the face observed with careful attention to structure and expression, the handling confident and somewhat rough in the tradition of progressive Scandinavian naturalism. The palette is restrained, with the face illuminated against a darker background in a manner derived from Old Master precedent.