Farm Interior, Skotta in Bærum

Harriet Backer was one of Norway's most significant women artists and a pioneering figure in the history of Norwegian Impressionism. This 1887 interior of a farm at Skotta in Bærum is characteristic of her signature approach — intimate interior scenes suffused with the particular quality of light entering through windows in Norwegian rural buildings. Backer brought a deeply personal attention to the quality of interior light that was unique among her Norwegian contemporaries, and these farm interiors, with their humble furnishings and filtered natural illumination, rank among her finest works.

Backer builds the interior in her characteristic manner — warm light entering from a window illuminating the simple furnishings and walls of the farm room. Her handling of the transition between lit and shadowed surfaces is exceptional, achieved through careful color modulation rather than strong tonal contrast. The palette is warm and intimate.