Tulla, the Artist's Grandchild

Tulla, the Artist's Grandchild (1913) by Christian Krohg is one of several intimate family portraits he produced in the early twentieth century, turning the observational skills developed in his naturalist years toward his own domestic world. Krohg had eight children with his wife, the writer and feminist Oda Krohg, and the family occupied a prominent place in the artistic and intellectual life of Christiania. Portraits of grandchildren and children within the household allowed Krohg to combine private affection with professional practice, producing works that have the directness of observation he brought to all his subjects but inflected with personal warmth. The National Museum in Oslo holds this canvas as part of its comprehensive survey of Krohg's career, situating these intimate works alongside his major social-realist canvases to show the full range of his practice.

Oil on canvas with the broad, confident handling characteristic of Krohg's later style. Portraits of children required particular attentiveness to transient expression and the difficulty of sustained posing, which encouraged Krohg toward quicker, more summary paint application. The palette is warm and relatively light, suited to an indoor domestic setting.